Pokemon Remix: Sapphire
by Mouko
Summary: It was the day Haruka had been waiting for, the start of her Pokemon journey. The world is waiting for her with its infinite possibilities; her path to adventure was entirely up to her. Now all she needed to do was find what she was looking for.
1. Chapter 1

It was Haruka's sixteenth birthday and she couldn't be happier. When most girls turned sweet sixteen, they wanted something really special like ponies or Porsches, and huge birthday parties. It was also the legal age to drive, so _all_ teenagers looked fondly to the day that they could get their driver's license - all but Haruka, anyway. She had another license in mind.

She was getting her _Pokémon_ license.

Haruka hummed in front of the mirror as she held several metal hair clips in her mouth, reaching back behind her head to clip up her long brown hair. She tucked in the back until she was left with what she fondly called puppy-ear-tails. They looked like little golden retriever ears on either side of her head. Some jerks made comments about it, calling them handlebars, but she always ignored them.

She thought it was cute, and that was all that mattered.

"Hmhmhm~!" Haruka finished up clipping her hair and grabbed her bandanna off the dresser. It was blue, save for two white disjointed lines curling around a full white circle at the center. It was a Pokéball, and the emblem of the Pokémon League itself. It was only fitting that a Pokémon Trainer wear something with the League emblem on it. She tied it around her head like a cap, then put her hands on her hips and regarded her reflection.

The cap completed her outfit of a blue zip-up vest with black lapels and black bike pants with matching black socks and blue sneakers. Haruka imagined that if there was an outfit for Pokémon Trainers, this was probably what it looked like - probably, sort of. Anyway, she looked rather snazzy in it, if she did say so herself. Which she _was_ saying so herself, so that was the end of it.

"Last thing, last thing," Haruka muttered as she slipped on her gloves, the portion that covered the hands white in color while the fingers and trim were black. She clenched her hands in to fists before she pumped them in to the hair. "Alright! Pokémon Master Haruka is a go!"

Dr. Odamaki sat at the kitchen table, enjoying his coffee as he read the newspaper. He looked less like a doctor, even in his white lab coat, and more like a beachcomber in his short khaki pants, navy t-shirt, and sandals. His short messy brown hair and scraggly beard didn't help this impression any. But whatever his appearances suggested, Dr. Odamaki was a premier professor on Pokémon, particularly Pokémon habitats and Pokémon behavior in the wild.

A flurry of activity upstairs caused Dr. Odamaki to pause in mid-sip, glancing up just in time to watch his teenage daughter nearly leap down the stairs. She jumped three steps at a time before she was finally at the bottom, then rushed over to the kitchen table. She slammed her hands down, causing the professor's plate of toast to rattle slightly.

"I'm ready!" Haruka said. "Let's go, let's go!"

"Don't you want some breakfast first?" Dr. Odamaki asked, with an awkward laugh. "It's a bit of a drive to Kotoki Town."

"Time and food wait for no trainer!" Haruka said.

"At least eat in the car," Dr. Odamaki said as he stood up. "Or your mother will have _me_ for breakfast."

Haruka puffed out her cheeks as she huffed. "_Fiiiine_."

Dr. Odamaki went about getting himself ready, picking up his wallet and keys off of the little shelf on the wall by the door. He glanced over to his daughter, who shoved two pieces of bread in to the toaster and turned it on. It wasn't exactly a full breakfast, but he suspected it was the most he would get out of the teenage girl. Haruka glared at the toaster, as if she thought the little device would somehow work faster if it knew just how displeased she was with it.

Despite the glare, the little machine worked at its own pace and lightly toasted the slices of bread before popping them up with a loud 'clank'. Haruka furiously wiped cream cheese on to the toast with a knife before shoving both slices in to her mouth at once and raced towards the front door.

"Mf gew, mfff gewww!" Haruka said, before she was out the door. Dr. Odamaki chuckled ruefully then followed after his daughter.

The car ride to Kotoki Town was slow, at least in Haruka's eyes. The old dusty brown pick-up truck traveled the unpaved road at a diligent pace. It wasn't anything fancy, but it got the job done. In her father's line of work, it paid to have a car that could take a beating and still get him where he needed to go, regardless of the terrain. It didn't have to look nice or be expensive to do that.

Haruka wasn't really interested in cars, anyway. How could _cars_ possibly compare to little acorns with eyes and feet or sharks shaped like torpedoes? It couldn't, that's how! Pokémon were totally fascinating to her, filled with all sorts of mystery and wonder just waiting to be discovered.

Maybe that was her father's influence, which was something her mother always complained about, but none of that mattered. Whatever the reasons, Haruka was Haruka and the world had better be ready for its newest Pokémon Trainer!

"Hmhmhm~!" Haruka stuck her head out the window as she stared far ahead. The dusty path wound itself across the country side, through the forest. Trees stretched far and wide, separating the town of Kotoki from her home, Mishiro Town.

Really, Mishiro barely even counted as a town. It was a tiny little settlement in the middle of nowhere, where everyone knew each other and the biggest news always had to first come from Kotoki Town. Kotoki wasn't exactly a sprawling metropolis itself but it had its own Pokémon Center and a Pokémon League branch, which was far more than Mishiro had. It was a town where people went to get away from everything, and Mishiro was certainly away from _everything_. Her father's laboratory ended up having to function as a temporary Pokémon Center for any trainers who happened to wander by. He didn't really mind that, it always gave him an excuse to talk to the trainers about their Pokémon and their journeys.

And it gave Haruka the opportunity to hear about them as well.

"Haruka," Dr. Odamaki said, getting his daughter's attention. "Are you sure you want this? Wouldn't you rather go to college and get a degree, and maybe a career in something? It'd be a guaranteed income, and you'd be much safer."

Haruka paused at that before she slowly turned to stare at her father, _hard_. Her lips pursed in to a tight line as her eyes bore right in to her father's face. If it were possible to catch someone on fire through a stare alone, Dr. Odamaki would surely have burst in to flames.

"I know, I know," Dr. Odamaki said, with a laugh. "But I promised your mother I'd at least ask you. She's just worried about you. Being a Pokémon Trainer can be dangerous, you know?"

Haruka made a noise before she crossed her arms. "Pokémon Training _is_ a career!"

"Yes, but it doesn't always pay," Dr. Odamaki said. "It requires a lot of luck and skill to-"

"I have luck and I'm gonna get skill!" Haruka said as she jerked her fists skyward to emphasize her point, nearly hitting the roof of the truck. "If I'm no good at battles, I'll try contests. If I'm no good at contests, I'll try Pokéathalons. If I'm no good at Pokéathalons, I'll try musicals. And if I'm no good at musicals, I'll try battles again! Eventually I'll be good at something!"

Dr. Odamaki looked at his daughter for a moment before he smiled softly. "I'm sure you will, Haruka."

The rest of the trip was uneventful, the dusty old truck following the road all the way to Kotoki Town. The road seemed to go on endlessly, even though Haruka logically knew that there _had_ to be an end to it. It just felt like it went on forever just to spite her.

Haruka was more than a little relieved when the forest finally parted and she could see the town of Kotoki in the distance. In particular, she could see a large white dome-shaped building with a red roof peeking above the smaller, more traditional houses. It was the Pokémon Center, home to the Kotoki Pokémon League Branch and their destination.

"Almost there," Dr. Odamaki said. "Are you ready for this?"

"I'm so ready I'm about to explode!" Haruka said as she peered out the window again. "It's a readiness explosion!"

Dr. Odamaki chuckled.

By the time her father was able to get to the Pokémon Center and find a parking spot, Haruka really did look like she was about to explode. Squirming and twitching anxiously, she practically jumped out of the truck and ran in to the building before her father could even finish turning off the truck. Locking the doors, he hurried after her as fast as his sandals could take him and found his daughter looking around with wide-eyed wonder.

The interior of the Pokémon Center was huge, which was only natural if it had any hope of containing everything inside it. Front and center was a massive counter where a registered Pokémon nurse waited, ready to accept trainers' Pokémon and tend to them. Most of the front lobby was dedicated to this function, as the doors directly behind the counter lead to the Pokémon infirmary. Inside, certified specialists tended to the Pokémon and took care of any ailment that might be troubling them. This was the primary purpose of all Pokémon Centers - providing assistance to trainers and their Pokémon.

However, healing wasn't the only purpose of the Pokémon Center. To either side of the central counter were stairways leading to the second floor of the lobby. Up there was the trading facility, where Pokémon trainers could exchange their Pokémon. There were various set-ups with Pokémon League officials to both monitor and authorize the exchanges. Certainly, people could exchange Pokémon _anywhere_, but it never became official until the new Pokémon was registered with the League. At least this way, the trainers didn't have to go anywhere to do that, not to mention it kept people from getting ripped off. The League always checked the contents to make sure people weren't using Pokéballs that contained different Pokémon than the ones promised or, even worse, no Pokémon at all.

Haruka would no doubt eventually become very familiar with the Pokémon Center, as it was vital to _all_ trainers. But first, she had to _become_ a trainer.

"Where to go, where to go," Haruka glanced around for a sign that might direct her to where new trainers were supposed to go. Failing to see one, she frowned. "Hummm..."

"May I help you?" the nurse asked, as she noticed Haruka's confused look.

"Where are the _Pokémon_?" Haruka asked, with an exaggerated gesture around the lobby.

"Excuse me?" the nurse blinked.

"Er, what she means is, ah," Dr. Odamaki said as he rubbed the back of his head. "My daughter's here to get her Pokémon license."

"I'm sixteen!" Haruka pumped her fists in the air. "It's Pokémon Master go time!"

The nurse blinked slowly, then covered her mouth with one hand as she giggled politely. "Oh, of course," She turned and gestured to the stairs. "It's just upstairs. It's the large door by the trading center."

Haruka was up the stairs before the nurse could even finish speaking, leaping up them two at a time. "Thank you!"

Dr. Odamaki bowed slightly before he followed after his daughter, taking the stairs with much greater care. The door in question was at the center of the back wall, nestled between the two trading stations. The words 'Pokémon League Headquarters' were written on the wall just over the door, in bold black letters.

Haruka wasted no more time in bolting through the doors, much to the amusement of the League officials and the various trainers using the trading facility at the time. A few chuckled as they exchanged knowing looks, with Dr. Odamaki shrugging sheepishly before following his excited daughter.

Haruka was already speaking to the official at the front desk by the time her father managed to catch up. She looked up when she saw him and quickly gestured him over. "Dad, Dad!"

"Good morning," Dr. Odamaki said as he approached the desk. "We're here for Haruka's Pokémon license."

"So she's told me," the official, a man with neatly trimmed hair, said as he smiled. He set down a set of paperwork in front of Dr. Odamaki. "Please fill these out."

"What's that?" Haruka asked, curiously. A thought struck her, causing her to frown. "Is it another test? I took the Pokémon League test already! I got a good score, too!" Rather than delay things on the big day, Haruka had opted to take the license exam early when her High School had offered it. She spent a whole Sunday taking the test just so she wouldn't have to worry about it today!

"No, no, we already have your results," the official said. "They're simply consent forms."

"Consent forms?" Haruka repeated in confusion.

"It's true that you can become a Pokémon trainer when you turn sixteen, but it's only with parental consent," the official said. "If you do not have parental consent, you must wait until you turn eighteen."

"Whaaaaat?" Haruka gasped, shocked. "But, but, but what kind of parent wouldn't give con-?" The words died as she spoke them, as the image of her mother came to mind. She paused, then puffed her cheeks up with a huff. "Well, I'd just turn eighteen that much faster, then!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Dr. Odamaki said, as he chuckled. He looked over the papers as he signed them with the provided pen. "Your mother knows how much this all means to you."

Haruka crossed her arms with a huff. "It means a lot to _everyone_ that wants to be a Pokémon trainer!"

"Yes, but not everyone is ready to accept their child growing up." Dr. Odamaki muttered.

Haruka looked at her father as she blinked before her expression softened. "Dad..."

"Everything looks in order," the official said before suddenly pulled out a small device. It looked like a cell phone, black with a red Pokéball on the bottom half. He extended the device to Haruka, who accepted it curiously. "This is your Pokédex. Please take great care of it, as it will contain all your personal information."

"A Pokédex," Haruka whispered. "_My_ Pokédex."

"It has a variety of functions, which you can customize," the official said. "Primarily, it monitors your Pokémon and provides you information about them. Its Encyclopedia application supplies data on any Pokémon you come across, which is connected to a national database and is updated regularly. There is also a map function and a GPS system."

"We'll put it on our cell phone plan, so you can use it as a cell phone too," Dr. Odamaki said. "We can also open a bank account and connect it to your Pokédex."

"I always recommend that trainers password protect their Pokédexes for that reason." the official said.

"So coooool..." Haruka flipped open the Pokédex and looked at the screen. She immediately spotted six grayed out Pokéballs on the top of the screen. "Huh?"

"Those are your Pokémon slots," Dr. Odamaki said as he looked over his daughter's shoulder. "They'll turn red once you have a Pokémon, and you can click on them to find out information about them."

"All Pokéballs have sensors that communicate with the Pokédex, registering those Pokémon to you and relaying information," the official said. "As a new trainer, you are only allowed to have six Pokémon at any one time. Once all of your slots are filled, you will be unable to catch any more Pokémon until you make room, such as releasing or trading one of the Pokémon you already have."

"I know, I know," Haruka said. "But I can get more slots when I win gym badges and stuff, and rank up! Right, right?"

"That's correct," the official said. "Winning gym badges and increasing your trainer rank allows you to carry more Pokémon."

"I know, I know," Haruka said. "But first I need _one_ Pokémon, before I worry about getting _more_!"

The official nodded as he smiled. "That's very true, young lady. Shall we pick out your starter?"

"I wanna meet the Pokémon!" Haruka said as she jerked her fists in to the sky again, then realized she was still holding her Pokédex and quickly clutched it to her chest. "Um, um."

"Be careful with it, okay, Haruka?" Dr. Odamaki said. "It's very expensive. You wouldn't want to have to pay for it _and_ a replacement as soon as you start out, after all."

"I know, I know, I don't fully own it yet," Haruka said. "But once we win a few battles, we'll pay it off in no time! Or maybe a few contests. ...Or a musical or something," The teenage girl paused, then smiled. "But whatever, I'll be very careful until then!"

"_Until_ then?" Dr. Odamaki asked. "What about _after_ then?"

"Until then, after then, forever then!" Haruka said. "I'll take good care of my Pokédex!"

"Glad to hear it," the official said. "Now, let's go introduce you to your new partner."

* * *

><p>The Pokémon Nursery reminded Haruka of a human nursery. The carpet was a swirl of rainbow, while the wallpaper was white with different colored spots. Toys filled the room, giving the Pokémon something to do while they waited for new trainers to come and pick them up.<p>

"Soooo cuuuuute," Haruka squealed as she pressed her hands and face against the glass. "I want them _all_!"

"You can only take one, Haruka," Dr. Odamaki said, as he smiled. "Any one you like."

"All of these Pokémon are 'starter' Pokémon," the official said as he peered in to the room. "They have been specifically bred and donated by local breeders to the Pokémon League, and all have specialized training."

Haruka made a kissing face at a curious little Zigzagoon, who then proceeded to lick the glass in response. The teenage girl giggled, then paused and turned to the official. "Training?"

"All starter Pokémon come knowing some offensive and defensive skills," the official said. "They also know other skills, such as CPR and how to use the Pokédex to call an ambulance should their trainer be incapacitated. In essence, they've been trained to take care of _you_ just as much as you take care of _them_."

"Woooowwww," Haruka muttered. "So I'm being babysat by my Pokémon?"

"That's... one way to look at it." the official said.

"So many smart Pokémon," Haruka said as she looked back in to the nursery. There were so many of them, of all different types. And each one was waiting for a trainer to take care of. "...But what happens if they're not picked?"

"Don't worry about that," the official said. "It's rare that a Pokémon isn't chosen as someone's starter."

"But it does happen, right?" Haruka asked, softly. "That's so sad." If it were up to her, no Pokémon would ever go unpicked.

"All Pokémon are in the nursery for two weeks," the official said. "At the end of two weeks, those Pokémon are then sent to the various agencies across the nation in order to receive additional training."

"Additional training?" Haruka repeated.

"Yes. Depending on their type, they get trained and become service Pokémon to people that need them," the offical said. "Such as firefighters, lifeguards, the police, forest rangers, and much more. There are even Pokémon who aid the disabled."

"You see, Haruka?" Dr. Odamaki said. "No Pokémon is ever left behind. They always have a purpose."

"...Okay." Haruka said, feeling a bit relieved. It meant that whoever she didn't pick would still have someone to look after them.

"Have you decided who you want?" Dr. Odamaki asked.

"I think...," Haruka furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at all the different Pokémon. "I want..."

"Dr. Odamaki!" Both Haruka and Dr. Odamaki jumped, turning to see a different official hurrying towards them. It was a young woman in a lab coat, carrying a clipboard. "Thank goodness you're here. That makes things easier."

"Ah, Serena," Dr. Odamaki said. "I'm just here with my daughter, picking out her first Pokémon. What is it?"

"We have another shipment," Serena said. "Could you please come and give us your expert opinion?"

"Ah, of course," Dr. Odamaki's smile immediately disappeared, replaced with a grimace. "Right away."

"Shipment? What?" Haruka looked between her father and Serena, then to the first official. "What, what?"

"It's the other function of the Pokémon League." the first official said, also looking very solemn.

"What is?" Haruka asked, anxiously.

"Dealing with abused Pokémon."

* * *

><p>Haruka didn't particularly like this new nursery. It was very empty and colorless, with white walls and flooring. The officials said that it was meant to provide a calming atmosphere for the Pokémon inside, without too much stimulus. It made Haruka think of a doctor's office, and she always hated those.<p>

But maybe that's what these Pokémon needed, because they were so sick.

There were only three Pokémon inside the nursery, and looking at them broke Haruka's heart. Thin and bruised, they looked as though they had been through something terrible. Apparently, that something terrible had been a trainer.

"He had been using starvation tactics to train them," Serena said as she opened the door, entering the room with Dr. Odamaki and Haruka in tow. "He had modded his Pokédex so that it wouldn't register their condition and alert the League. Thankfully, that very mod was what got the attention of the League when he tried to register for a gym battle. The officials investigated the modded Pokédex, and then found these four."

"They always seem to forget that the League checks Pokédexes at official events," Dr. Odamaki said. He looked at the three Pokémon and shook his head. "How awful..."

"Four?" Haruka muttered. She had only seen three - a Kecleon, a Ralts, and a Skitty. Who was the fourth Pokémon?

The answer came to Haruka quickly, when she felt the hair on the back of her head rise. She felt as though something was staring at her, _glaring_ at her. The teenager looked around before noticing a pair of beady blue eyes staring at her from underneath a table. Haruka drew closer and crouched down, coming face to face with a little Torchic. Its main body was covered with red feathers, with white chest feathers. The fan-like feathers on top of its head were also white, though they were singed and dirty. The female Pokémon slunk back away from Haruka, watching her intently.

Haruka stared at the Torchic for a long moment, then smiled softly. "Hello, my name is Haruka. What's yours?"

The Torchic silently stared at the teenage girl.

"I hope the League plans on pressing charges," Dr. Odamaki said as he examined the Kecleon, noting the bruises on its body. "This is inexcusable."

"Of course," Serena said. "We not only confiscated the Pokémon and the modded Pokédex, but also his trainer license. He's going before a judge next week to see if he should only get a suspension or be banned entirely."

"I have no sympathy for him," Dr. Odamaki said, then turned to Serena. "I'll take them back to the lab and evaluate them more there, see if foster care can help them."

"We might have to just send the Torchic to a Pokémon sanctuary," Serena said with a sigh. "She's so hostile to humans that we can't even get close to-"

"Dad!"

Dr. Odamaki and Serena paused and turned to stare at Haruka. Haruka sat on the floor with her legs crossed, the little Torchic sitting quietly on her lap. Its eyes were closed as Haruka gently played with her head feathers, rubbing the Pokémon's scalp.

"I think she likes me!" Haruka said.

* * *

><p>Haruka hummed happily as she sat in the front seat of her father's truck, holding her precious Pokémon in her lap. The newly dubbed Phoenix sat in Haruka's lap, perfectly silent. The little Torchic's head was turned so that she was staring at the car door, pointedly ignoring Dr. Odamaki and the Piplup beside her. The water-type Penguin Pokémon was white with a sky blue head, back, and tail. The two oval markings on its chest and the crown marking just above its beak were black, matching it's black bead eyes. The little Piplup sat comfortably in Haruka's lap beside the Torchic, occasionally casting it curious glances before looking back up at his trainer.<p>

"Hey, Dad," Haruka said, after a moment. "Is this really okay? Isn't it kind of cheating for me to have two Pokémon?"

Dr. Odamaki flinched, having dreaded that question. He had hoped his daughter would have just accepted the situation without question. "Ah, well... not really. You see, the Torchic is a very special case. This was the only way they'd let you take her."

"Phoenix." Haruka said.

"Hm?" Dr. Odamaki blinked.

"Her name is Phoenix." Haruka said.

"Ah, yes, um. Phoenix," Dr. Odamaki said, awkwardly. "They only agreed to let you take Phoenix so long as you agreed to give daily reports through your Pokédex, and only if you took the Piplup with you."

"Zu," Haruka said. "His name is Zu."

"R-right. Phoenix and Zu," Dr. Odamaki said. "So you see, it's not really cheating. You have extra obligations, so you get extra Pokémon."

"But why Zu?" Haruka asked as she turned to her father. "Isn't he from Sinnoh? He's not from a local breeder at all."

"That's right, he's a Sinnoh Pokémon," Dr. Odamaki said. "He was actually sent here to receive training to become a search and rescue water Pokémon. Pokémon aren't really restricted by region when it comes to the League, and we always need water Pokémon."

"That's what I mean," Haruka said. "Is it really okay for me to take him away from such an important job? What if someone drowns?" Their home was actually an island, the island of Hoenn. And with all islands, it was surrounded by vast oceans, making water Pokémon absolutely vital. It wasn't like the mainland at all where they'd only have ocean on one or two sides - _all_ sides had deep water to contend with.

"I'm sure it's okay, Haruka. They're the ones that gave him to you, after all," Dr. Odamaki said. "He's still a starter, and Phoenix isn't. He has all sorts of training that Phoenix doesn't have."

"I _knoooow_," Haruka said. "But there were other Pokémon there, I could've taken any of the _other_ starters. Why did they give me _Zu_?"

Dr. Odamaki grimaced. He didn't really want to admit to the truth - that the League had given Zu in order to protect Haruka from Phoenix should the fire-type Pokémon become hostile to her. Water had a type advantage over Fire, and Zu had more experience than any of the other starters available at the nursery. If it came to a fight, Zu would be able to subdue Phoenix with the least amount of danger to Haruka. However, Dr. Odamaki knew that even saying such a thing would completely upset his daughter. Still, how could he answer his curious daughter without lying to her?

Zu looked up at Haruka and chirped quizzically, prompting the teenage girl to giggle and snuggle him tightly against her chest. Phoenix twitched slightly but remained seated in Haruka's lap, leaning against the arm wrapped around her.

Dr. Odamaki looked at Haruka and her two Pokémon before returning his eyes to the road. "Don't you want him?"

"Eh?" Haruka looked up sharply, staring at her father. "Of course I do!"

"That's good," Dr. Odamaki said, as he avoided looking at his daughter. "All those questions just made it sound like you _didn't_. Like maybe you wanted one of those other starters instead of Zu."

"Ehhhh?" Haruka's eyes widened before she shook her head. "No, no! Of _course_ I want Zu! And Phoenix, too!" She turned to smile reassuringly at the penguin Pokémon. "We'll be the best partners ever, right?"

Zu chirped his agreement, smiling back at Haruka. Phoenix didn't look up, keeping her eyes focused on the car door.

Dr. Odamaki felt guilty about pulling such a stunt and manipulating his daughter. Still, it would keep Haruka from asking any more questions that he simply wasn't prepared to answer. It was for her own benefit, after all.

Now, how was he going to explain this to her mother?


	2. Chapter 2

It was past noon by the time Haruka and her father got back to Mishiro Town. The teenage girl was considerably calmer on the trip back, sitting quietly with her two new Pokémon. Phoenix had fallen asleep in Haruka's lap at some point during the trip, leaning against Haruka's arm. Zu was close to dozing himself, his eyes half-lidded. When the truck came to a stop in front of the laboratory, the sleepy Piplup perked up and glanced around curiously.

Haruka's mother, Kaori, was already waiting outside when the truck pulled up to the house. She stood anxiously in the front yard, toying with her long curly blond hair as she wore a two-toned pink and lavender dress shirt and matching pink slacks. With her was the next door neighbor, Mitsuko.

Mitsuko smiled brightly, looking quite beautiful even in a simple white dress shirt with a pink vest, with blue pants and a matching blue hairclip in her luxurious brown hair. But then, it was always easy for Mitsuko to look beautiful – she particularly had the type of curves that would attract the eyes of those looking at her. People sometimes made comments that Haruka took more after Mitsuko than her own mother, particularly due to their overly generous bust sizes, but both Haruka and Kaori ignored the 'gentle' teasing.

Kaori clearly looked worried, while Mitsuko kept her company and chatted away. They both stopped when the truck pulled up, and Haruka could see her mother's spirit visibly shrink when she saw Phoenix and Zu.

"Mom, I'm back!" Haruka said, cheerfully. "And I have Pokémon!"

"I can see that." Haruka's mother said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"How wonderful~!" Mitsuko said. "I can remember getting _my_ first Pokémon! Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

"I got two, so I have twice to remember." Haruka said.

"Two?" Kaori muttered. "Don't they only give one?"

Dr. Odamaki shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Zu is my starter," Haruka said. "And they said I could have Phoenix because we got along so well!"

"Oh?" Kaori raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"She didn't catch me on fire," Haruka said with a smile.

Kaori's eyebrows shot straight up as the color drained from her face, gaping openly at her daughter. She whirled to glare at her husband, who rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.

"Oh, honey, that was a joke!" Mitsuko said as she giggled, reaching out to touch Haruka's mother on the arm. "Really! As if they'd hand out a dangerous Pokémon to a child, daughter of a professor or not!"

Kaori pursed her lips, unconvinced. Dr. Odamaki refused to look at her as he continued his feeble attempt at a laugh.

"You met Yuki's dad when you were a trainer, didn't you?" Haruka asked, tilting her head.

"Oh my, yes," Mitsuko said. "I met my Senri when I challenged him for his badge, so many years ago. It was really the only way to get his attention, you know. So many fans, and he really only had eyes for Pokemon. That's what it takes to be a gym leader – that level of dedication."

"That means I'll have to fight him for a gym badge, right?" Haruka hummed thoughtfully. "I'll train hard."

"I'm sure he's looking forward to it," Mitsuko said, brightly. She turned to Dr. Odamaki. "You must be so happy that your daughter's following in your footsteps!"

Dr. Odamaki chuckled weakly, as Kaori made a noise deep in the back of her throat. "I'm sure Haruka's following her own heart rather than mine. She's always been a girl who knows what she wants."

"Of course," Mitsuko agreed, then tilted her head. "But I wish Yuki had the same enthusiasm. You can imagine how disappointed Senri was when his own son had more interest in contests than battling," She paused, then placed her hand against her cheek and sighed heavily. "Senri was certain that he'd outgrow all that pageantry nonsense once he became a real Pokémon Trainer. When he asked me for my permission to get his Pokémon license, I thought that maybe he'd finally see-"

"Ah, yes," Dr. Odamaki rubbed the back of his head. "He still hasn't come to visit, has he?"

"No, not at all." Mitsuko said, wearily.

"I'm sure that whatever Yuki's doing, he's the absolutely best at it," Haruka said, with a bright smile that hinted at her sharp canine fangs. "He'll be a Pokémon Master, no matter what."

Mitsuko paused at that before she smiled at Haruka. "...Yes, I'm sure you're right. He is Senri's son, after all."

"Yuki is Yuki," Haruka said, then smiled. "Anyway, I have to go now, so please excuse me~!"

"Eh? Go?" Kaori blinked before her eyebrows shot straight up. "Go where!"

"On my Pokémon adventure!" Haruka said, brightly. "I have my Pokémon, so now it's time to _adventure_!"

"But... but what about your Birthday party? I made you a cake!" Kaori said, clearly panicking.

Haruka paused at that. "Okay... cake first, then adventure!"

"Oh, but it'd be late by then. Why don't you start _tomorrow_?" Kaori suggested, desperately.

Haruka stared at her mother, her expression deadpan.

"That's a lovely idea!" Mitsuko said "It'll give me time to get your birthday present ready!"

Haruka frowned. She looked at the two mothers, then turned to her father. Dr. Odamaki shrugged helplessly. The young trainer huffed, pouting. "...Fiiiiiine. I'll leave tomorrow, bright and early."

"Yes, that's the best thing." Mitsuko said.

"But I'm definitely going tomorrow!" Haruka said.

"Of course, dear." Mitsuko said.

Kaori said nothing, even when her husband reached out to touch her shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Mff... who ever heard if a Pokémon trainer starting their Pokémon adventure the day after they got their license?" Haruka whined as she sat down heavily on her bed. The force caused both Phoenix and Zu to bounce slightly, as the two Pokémon looked at her. "And I was all ready too, wearing my <em>trainer<em> outfit and everything!"

Phoenix blinked slowly as she sat comfortably on Haruka's pillows, surrounded by stuffed plushies in the shapes of various Pokémon. Zu chirped quizzically as he sat at the foot of the bed, away from the Torchic.

"Oh well," Haruka said with a sigh. She then smiled at her Pokémon. "It gives you a chance to relax, right?"

Phoenix blinked again, while Zu chirped happily.

"I might have to change my route, though." Haruka mused as she looked up at the large map on her wall.

The map was enormous, taking up almost the entire wall as it displayed all of Hoenn. It was very detailed, showing all the roads and paths across the island and the various settlements. It was covered in thumbtacks, marking locations seemingly at random. However, there were a sizable amount of thumbtacks focused around the east and south port cities of Minamo and Kaina, the mountainous town of Hijitsuge to the northeast, and the town of Shidake located at the central plains of the island.

"It might mess me up, but it also might work out," Haruka mused. "Maybe the delay will-"

A loud chime from Haruka's computer interrupted her thoughts. She was on her feet in an instant, rushing to the computer. On the screen was a chat window, which displayed the words "Happy Birthday!" from a user named BurningDesire.

Haruka giggled as she typed her response. "Thank you, Yuki! o/~"

A reply came instantly. "Did you get my gift?"

Haruka's eyes darted over to an opened box in the corner, which had contained a lovely kimono – red with black trim, covered in blue and green flowers. The shipping address was noticeably absent, ripped off the box and joining the other shipping labels in an enormous pile inside a jar on her desk.

"Yes, I love it! \o/ It fits per-fect-ly!" Haruka typed.

Text appeared across the screen. "Good. I wasn't certain that my old measurements would still work, so I increased the size in case you gained weight."

Haruka twitched. It was true that she had gained some fat, particularly around the chest area. Her bosom had a very unpleasant habit of growing well ahead the rest of her body. She could never seem to stop it, no matter what she did. Maybe she shouldn't have had that last piece of cake... "Well, it fits just fine and is so pretty! You always make the best outfits. =)"

"You're welcome. So, is anything interesting going on?"

Haruka paused, then entered her reply. "Nope! Just a normal day~~ How about you? Where are you?"

There was a distinct pause before Yuki replied. "Oh, just entering beauty contests and training my Pokémon. I'm resting at a center right now."

"What center?" Haruka asked. "Is it a big one?"

"It's just a regular center, nothing too spectacular or worth mentioning," Yuki replied. "Anyway, I should go. I'll contact you later."

A sad little chime immediately followed, signaling that BurningDesire had signed off.

"Boooooo..." Haruka huffed as she pouted her lips. Yuki always did that – change the subject or run away when she asked about him and his location. She usually only got the barest of clues, such as the one she had gotten from _this_ conversation – that Yuki was in a town that held beauty contests. That meant it was at one of the four towns with contest halls – Minamo, Kaina, Hijitsuge, and Shidake.

Haruka got up and looked at the shipping label from her birthday gift. It was postmarked as the Pokemon center in Kinsetsu City, the main tourist town and where the eastern and western roads intersected. It usually took the mail two days to get to her. The only towns with contests near Kinsetsu City were Shidake Town and Kaina City. Among them, only Shidake was within two days of walking distance.

Of course, this all assumed Yuki didn't have a bike or other means of transportation.

"Booooo..." Haruka huffed again.

Phoenix and Zu watched Haruka, not sure what to make of her behavior.

"Well, fine! Fine! I'll just tour all the towns, do all the things, and eventually it'll be the right town and the right thing!" Haruka jerked her fists skyward. "Gotta catch 'em, right? Well, I'm gonna catch _Yuki_!"

Zu chirped as he waved his flippers, while Phoenix watched blandly.

"Okay, time for bed then!" Haruka said. "Bath time!"

Zu froze, his flippers still in the air as his eyes widened. The Piplup gawked at Haruka as she proceeded to strip down without a moment's hesitation. As the teenage girl undid her vest and flung it aside, Zu felt a piercing stare against the back of his head. Turning slightly, he saw Phoenix glaring at him with the force of a thousand Flamethrowers. The little Puplup paused, then quickly turned to stare at the wall. Phoenix continued to _watch_ him as Haruka stripped.

"Okay, let's go!" Haruka said as she scooped up her Pokémon, holding them to her bare chest. "Let's have a bubble bath! I'll lather you up and scrub your backs~!"

Phoenix watched Zu intently as the Piplup sweated profusely, his eyes bulging out. Oblivious to her Pokemon's distress, Haruka carried them to her bathroom and closed the door behind her.

* * *

><p>It was well past midnight when Haruka left her room to get a drink from the kitchen, wearing her pink pajamas with white Pikachu print. She stepped quietly so as to not wake her parents or her Pokémon. As she neared the steps, Haruka stopped and stared.<p>

Kaori sat on the steps, slouched forward as she held a picture frame in her hands. It was a picture of Haruka when she was little, wearing a ridiculously frilly dress and a big smile on her face.

Haruka paused before she quietly moved to sit by her mother. Kaori jumped, startled, and quickly looked away as she wiped at her eyes.

"Oh, Haruka. What are you doing up?" Kaori asked, her voice rough. "If you don't sleep, you'll be tired tomorrow."

"I'll call you every day," Haruka said. "And I'll visit, too."

Kaori paused, taken back, before her eyes welled up with tears. "Haruka..."

"Don't worry," Haruka said as she smiled softly. "I won't disappear."

Kaori trembled before she moved to hold her daughter close, sobbing as she could no longer hold in her tears. Haruka hugged her mother quietly, closing her eyes as her mother cried.

* * *

><p>Morning came bright and early, bringing sunlight and a new day to Mishiro Town. Haruka, once again dressed in her trainer outfit, hurried down the stairs with her two Pokémon in tow. She thought herself to be the first one up, but instead found her mother cooking breakfast in the kitchen.<p>

Kaori looked up and smiled, and Haruka smiled back as she walked towards the table. After helping her Pokemon to sit in the chairs to either side of her, Haruka took her place at the table.

"Oh, am I the last one up?" Dr. Odamaki asked with a laugh, as he stepped down the stairs slowly.

"Yep, yep!" Haruka said, giggling.

Zu looked around the room at the various humans, chirping. Phoenix kept her eyes exclusively on the white placemat in front of her, her expression giving none of her thoughts away.

"Trainers set their own hours, you know," Dr. Odamaki said as he sat down at the table, opposite Haruka. "You don't need to get up at the crack of dawn every day."

"You don't need to sleep until noon, either." Karoi said, causing Dr. Odamaki to blush.

"Who can sleep when there's so much to _do_?" Haruka asked. "I'll never catch up if I don't do my best!"

"Catch up?" Dr. Odamaki repeated, then looked at his wife to see her with a knowing smile. "Eh?"

"Anyway, I have a head start too!" Haruka said as she turned to look at her Pokémon. Phoenix looked at her silently while Zu smiled and chirped.

"That's right." Kaori said as she set the plates of food down on the table, filled with pancakes and eggs with a side of toast.

Haruka happily stabbed her pancake with a fork and popped it in her mouth. She paused and glanced at her Torchic and Piplup as they eagerly munched on their own food. "...Hmmm..."

"Hmm?" Kaori turned to her daughter.

"...Is it cannibalism if a Bird Pokémon eats scrambled eggs?" Haruka asked.

Her father choked on his coffee, spitting some of it up. He coughed and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "N-no. Chickens are not Pokémon, so it's not cannibalism."

"So if a Miltank eats beef, it's also not cannibalism?"

"No," he said. "Pokémon are not used for food. They're sentient, unlike animals we consume."

"How do you know that animals aren't sentient?" Haruka asked.

Her father was at a loss for how to answer such a question, humming and hawing over his words. Thankfully, he was saved by his wife.

"Eat your breakfast, dear." Kaori said.

"Oookay~!" Haruka said, then proceeded to devour her pancakes. Dr. Odamaki glanced at his wife, who smiled and shrugged.

Breakfast was finished in short order, with the Pokémon eating any leftovers eagerly. With the food taken care of and their bellies full, Haruka and her Pokémon headed outside.

"This is the start~!" Haruka said. "The start of my Pokémon adventure!"

"Did you pack everything?" Kaori asked. "Clothes? Your Pokédex? ...Feminine products?"

"Yep, yep! As much as I can carry!" Haruka said, brandishing her backpack.

"Haruka!"

Haruka paused and turned to stare at Mitsuko as she suddenly approached, pushing a scooter. It was white with a black seat and handlebars, with big black saddlebags on either side.

"Oh good, I'm not too late." Mitsuko said.

"What's that?" Haruka asked.

"It's a scooter," Mitsuko said. "My old scooter, from when I was a trainer."

"What's it for...?" Haruka asked.

"For you, my dear!" Mitsuko said, with a bright smile. She laughed when the teenage girl's eyes bugged out. "It's so much better than walking, and you can carry so much more!"

"R-really? Really, really!" Haruka asked. When Mitsuko nodded, she squealed and lunged to hug the older woman before gushing over the scooter, examining every inch of it.

"I had it serviced yesterday," Mitsuko said. "It still runs perfectly and has a full tank of gas."

"Thank you so much, but is it really okay?" Kaori asked.

"In this male dominated field, we girl trainers have to look out for each other." Mitsuko said, with a wink.

Haruka looked over her new scooter, excitedly. She noticed a button that read 'seat' and pressed it. With a click, the seat popped up to reveal even more storage space. The teenager placed her backpack in the seat space and squealed happily when it fit, allowing her to close the seat.

Dr. Odamaki chuckled at his daugher's enthusiasm and excitement, then blinked when Haruka bolted back inside the house. "Ah? Haruka...?"

"A few more things!" Haruka said as she disappeared inside. Zu stood by the scooter, staring after his trainer blankly, while Phoenix hesitated only a moment before running after to follow her. "I can fit a few more things!"

Kaori and Mitsuko looked at each other, then broke out giggling. Dr. Odamaki merely rubbed the back of his head.


	3. Chapter 3

The world flew by as Haruka rode her new scooter along the road. Phoenix and Zu watched the scenery as they sat on the scooter behind Haruka, holding on to her clothes.

Haruka hummed to herself, smiling. The scooter was so much faster than she could ever walk. Obviously, it meant that she couldn't really investigate her surroundings thoroughly and thus ran the risk of missing out on a rare Pokémon, but she wasn't too concerned about that. She already had two, she was in no rush to fill all her slots just yet.

"I'll visit Kotoki Town first, but not the gym for now," Haruka muttered. It was Senri's gym, and he was still too out of her league to fight straight out - even if she had a type advantage. He was an expert gym, and she was no expert. Thankfully, the gym in the next town over was evaluated as a much better gym for beginners. She'd start there, then loop back around and challenge Yuki's father last.

Besides, she wasn't all that keen on seeing him just yet. After all, she was certain that Yuki'd never go to Kotoki Town, least of all to see his father.

"We should train eventually," Haruka said. "Who knows? We might run in to another-"

The teenage girl paused when she noticed a group of boys down the road in front of her, flagging her down. She recognized them as some of the neighborhood boys. They apparently had been lounging about by the side of the road, near a parked pickup truck.

Haruka slowed her scooter, coming to a stop in the middle of the road.

"Hey, hey, nice wheels." one of the boys, Taiki, said.

"Where are _you_ going so fast?" another of the boys, Shuichi, asked as he looked over Haruka's outfit. "Dressed like _that_, no less."

Haruka huffed. "This is my Pokémon trainer outfit! I'm a Pokémon trainer now!"

Phoenix peered out from behind Haruka, her eyes piercing.

"A _trainer_, huh?" Taiki asked, then turned to the woods. "Hear that, Taro?"

"Yeah, I heard." Taro said as he came out of the woods, holding a Pokéball.

"Did you catch the Linoone?" Shuichi asked.

"Naw, stupid thing ran away too fast," Taro said as he walked out in to the road, looking at Phoenix and Zu. "Whoa, what? Where the hell did _you_ get a Piplup?"

"Her dad's a prof, remember?" Taiki laughed. "He probably gave it to her."

"He did not!" Haruka said. "The League gave him to me, and Phoenix too!"

The three boys shared a knowing look, before Shuichi muttered 'nepotism' while pretending he was coughing.

Haruka scowled, then revved the scooter. "I'm going now."

"Whoa, whoa, what's the rush?" Taro waved his hands. "I'm a trainer too. Let's have a Pokémon battle."

Haruka frowned. While it would be satisfying to win her first battle against the jerk, she was still very new. She didn't know how well-trained his Pokémon were, but by default she imagined they were more trained than her's. Besides, she didn't feel right using her Pokémon for revenge. "Well..."

Without waiting for Haruka to agree, Taro tossed his Pokéball. "Let's go, Grovyle!"

"Eh?" Haruka's eyes widened. "I didn't even say I would!"

"You have to," Shuichi said. "He challenged you."

"That's a lie and you know it!" Haruka said. "I don't _have_ to accept-"

Before anyone could react, Phoenix lunged down off the scooter and slammed her head in to the Grovyle's face. The Pokémon yowled as it flew backwards in a crumbled heap, foot twitching before it was engulfed in light and automatically recalled in to its Pokéball.

Haruka looked at Phoenix as she blustered and glared, her feathers puffed. The teenage girl then turned to Taro and smiled. "Guess I win~?"

"N-no, no way!" Taro protested. "I wasn't ready, that was cheating!"

Haruka shrugged. She wasn't surprised that Taro refused to accept the outcome. It really didn't matter, though. It wasn't a real challenge, as neither registered the fight through their Pokédexes. That meant there was no record of the fight and nothing was won - cash or otherwise. Sitting back on her scooter and revving the engine, Haruka glanced to Phoenix. "Let's go, okay~?"

Phoenix hopped back on the seat in Haruka's lap, even as she continued to stare at Taro.

"Wait!" Taro said. "I'm not done-"

"Bye-bye!" Haruka said with a smile, then took off down the road on her scooter, leaving the group of boys behind her.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Haruka to arrive in Touka Town; it took considerably less time than if she had walked the whole way. In fact, it would have taken her the whole day just to get back to Kotoki Town, and another day to go east from Kotoki towards Touka. The scooter made her journey infinitely easier, as she could travel the fast roads and save her feet an infinite amount of trouble.<p>

Haruka had been to Touka Town before, though always with her father, and yet it felt completely different. It wasn't simply because she had come to town under her own power, either. It felt like a whole different town, when in fact she was the only thing different.

Haruka was now a Pokémon trainer.

"Okay, okay," Haruka glanced around. "Where to first? The Pokémon center? The store?" She had only done a single battle, and it barely could be called that. Phoenix wasn't the least bit tired, sitting comfortably in Haruka's lap on the scooter. The little Torchic looked around impassively, while Zu clung tightly to Haruka's back.

"I guess I could go to the gym," Haruka muttered. She still had no plan on challenging Yuki's dad, but she always heard that other trainers loitered at gyms, waiting for people to challenge.

She'd be able to have her first, _real_ Pokémon battle. The thought made her both giddy and apprehensive. Of course, she'd never make it as a trainer if she constantly feared for her Pokémon. She'd just have to trust them and deal with the results as they came. "Let's go have a real battle, okay?"

Zu chirped his agreement while Phoenix looked up at Haruka and blinked.

"Right!" Haruka revved the scooter. "Off we go!"

The gym plaza was filled with trainers and their Pokémon. It didn't take long for Haruka to find a parking spot, a small section at the front of the plaza that was designated specifically for motorcycles and scooters. With her ride secured, Haruka headed in to the crowd of trainers to find her first victory, or defeat.

"Young lady, could I interest you in trading for a Magikarp?" a man in the crowd asked as Haruka walked by. He was dressed like a fish-market salesman, complete with white bandanna around his forehead.

"Noooo, thank you," Haruka said without missing a beat, Phoenix resting in her arms while Zu rode on her shoulder.

"Oh, but you see-"

"No-no, thank-you~!" Haruka said, never turning her head as she walked further in to the plaza.

The closer to the gym that Haruka went, the thicker the crowd became. Even the stalls themselves changed, going from more generic Pokémon merchandise and switching to a very specific field – the Gym Leader, Senri. His face covered everything from t-shirts and posters to mugs and tote bags. For someone she had no interest in seeing, Haruka went to seeing a fair amount of Yuki's father as his face seemed to be smiling at her from every direction.

"Creeeeeepy." Haruka muttered.

"Excuse me, young lady!" a merchant at one of the stalls called to Haruka, catching her attention. His booth was loaded with Senri memorabilia, his face plastered on the merchant's t-shirts, mugs, and _panties_. "I can tell from here, you must be a Senri fan, yes?"

"Hm?" Haruka tilted her head, then shook it. "Nope."

"Huh?" the merchant blinked.

"Nope, nope," Haruka said. "I'm not a Senri fan~!"

The merchant was taken back. The look on his face suggested to Haruka that he hadn't ever thought it even _possible_ for a young girl to _not_ be a Senri fan, let alone thought he'd ever meet one. That fact alone irritated Haruka, at least a little bit.

"Oh, ah, yes," the merchant struggled to recover. "I see, I see. You must not be from Hoenn-"

"Nope, nope!" Haruka said, with a smile. "Born and raised in Mishiro!"

"Eh? But that's where Senri-"

"I'm his next-door neigh-bor~!" Haruka said.

"And you're... _not_ a Senri fan...?" the merchant asked.

"Nope!" Haruka beamed. "Not - at - all!"

"B-but _why_?" the merchant asked, flabbergasted.

"Be-caaaause! I am a _Yuki_ fan!" Haruka said, her smile impossibly big. "They're mu-tu-al-ly exluuuusive!"

"Oh, um," the merchant paused, then furrowed his eyebrows. "I see."

"_Yuki_? Oh-hohohoho! If you're a fan of _that_ ungrateful _brat_, then it's no wonder you lack the _taste_ to appreciate Senri!"

Haruka blinked and glanced over her shoulder to see a girl about her age with long black hair and almond eyes. She wore a typical Japanese fuku, white with dark purple skirt, bow, and trim. The girl giggled, her smile ugly and tinged with smug superiority.

"No one with _sense_ would ever choose that _child_ over Senri." the girl said.

Haruka looked at the strange girl. She didn't recognize the girl at all, she was completely unfamiliar. Haruka didn't even recognize the school uniform, so obviously this girl didn't go to the same schools as Haruka. So, why was this girl even talking to her?

"Really, Senri would be so _embarrassed_ to have someone like _you_ as a fan," the girl continued, with a wave of her hand. "So, no one'd want you anyway~!"

Haruka tilted her head. "Do I know you?"

"Ah?" the girl paused and blinked. "What?"

"Oh, it's just that you acted like I cared about what you were saying, so I thought that maybe I knew you," Haruka said, then giggled. "Guess not~!"

The girl looked genuinely surprised that Haruka was talking back to her. The girl's jaw dropped as she gaped openly at Haruka.

"You must have me mistaken for someone else," Haruka continued. "Because I _don't_ care, about you _or_ Senri. Sorry, sooo-rrrrry~!" She smiled and gave a small wave before she turned to walk away. Phoenix shot the stupefied girl a glare and snorted a bit of flame out of her nose before turning her beak up in an obvious snub. Zu glanced back at the girl as Haruka left, but said nothing.

As Haruka walked away, she felt a little guilt over her dismissal of Senri. Mitsuko had given her a scooter and everything, and yet she spoke negatively of her husband. Still, it was also for Mitsuko's sake as well. She could only imagine what it must have felt like to know that there were little girls in Hoenn with her husband's face on their panties.

"She knew what she was getting in to when she married him," Haruka muttered, then giggled. "The wedding must have sent his fan base in to a frenzy." She didn't think that Senri was the type to cheat – he was far too single-minded and obsessive for that. If he was the type, he would've done it long before now. As it was, the man had no interest beyond Pokémon battles. The only reason Mitsuko got his attention in the first place was because she had been bold enough to wager a date on the outcome of their battle. The Pokémon won the battle, her boobs accomplished the rest. It was a story that Haruka had heard many times before – Mitsuko loved to tell it.

"I'm sure he loves her," Haruka said. "He just has a one-track mind. Right, Phoenix?" The teenage trainer smiled down at her Torchic. "Just like some-one else~!"

Phoenix looked up at Haruka and blinked.

The rest of the plaza proved to be a disappointment. If there _were_ any trainers to challenge, they were hidden between the stalls of merchandise. Senri's face smothered the whole plaza; Haruka was already sick of the man's face and she hadn't even _seen_ him yet.

"Waste – of – time," Haruka pouted. "I should've just gone to-"

A squeak from Zu got the trainer's attention. She glanced up at the Piplup, who looked down at her and flailed his flipper about in an attempt to point behind her. It was then that the teenage girl noticed the rumbling growl of Phoenix against her chest, the Torchic tense and scowling. Haruka blinked, then glanced behind her.

The girl from the earlier confrontation at the booth was behind her, with a gaggle of other girls. The looks on their faces were a mixture of outrage and cattiness, as half of them muttered furiously with each other while the other half loudly whispered to each other.

"Oh my _god_, look at what she's wearing."

"What is wrong with her _hair_?"

The girl from before smirked, her arms crossed. She looked exceedingly pleased that Haruka had noticed them and no doubt heard what was being said about her. Haruka blinked slowly, then tilted her head.

"Can I help you~?" Haruka asked, with a smile. The girls chattered noisily, pointedly ignoring Haruka as they talked about her with increasing volume.

"Who does she think she is?"

"What a hussy!"

"Does she really think she can get away with talking about Senri like that?"

"Someone needs to slap that stupid look right off her face!"

"Do it, do it!"

Haruka waited patiently for a response as the snide girl continued to sneer at her. Haruka got the impression that the girls were also waiting for something, perhaps in the form of an angry reaction. Naturally, she had no inclination of giving one.

"Okay then~!" Haruka said, once she felt she had waited enough. She turned on her heels and resumed walking. She was immediately aware that the girls were following her, as they raised their voices and continued to chatter.

"Oh geez, look at the way she _walks_!"

"She's so full of herself."

"Can you _imagine_?"

"I wouldn't be caught _dead_ looking like that!"

Haruka ignored the girls as she looked around the plaza for anything that was _not_ associated with Senri or his face. She didn't really care what they said about her, especially considering she didn't know _any _of them. Then again, it wouldn't matter even if she _did_ know them. They were _obviously_ the kind of people she wouldn't want to hang around.

"You can _tell_ that she's a fan of that _Yuki_."

"A brat _would_ idolize another _brat_."

Something unpleasant formed inside of Haruka, causing her cheek to twitch seconds before her smile widened across her face. The trainer stopped short in front of a vendor, catching the merchant off guard with the sudden action. She turned to the vendor and flashed him with her smile. "Excuse me~! Do you have anything with Shirona on it?"

"Who-?" the vendor began.

"The _Champion_ of Sinnoh," Haruka said. "Though I'd accept something with _Champion_ Wataru of the Indigo region too~!"

"Er," the vendor paused, then shook his head. It was fairly obvious that he had nothing but Senri's face on all of his merchandise. "No."

"What about _our_ Cham-pi-on?" Haruka asked, innocently. "_Champion_ Daigo~? _Champions_ are _so_ much better than _Gym Leaders_, you know. _Gym Leaders_ only represent a single town, while _Champions_ represent the _whole – wide – region_~! They're better than ev-er-y single gym in their area~! That's why they're so _important_!"

Haruka could feel the hostility from the girls behind her as if it were something tangible. She wondered if it would actually be visible if she turned around to look, like a blaze of fire or something of that sort right out of an anime. Of course, she resisted the urge to look and focused on the anxious merchant. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know.

"U-um, n-no," the merchant said. "We only sell Senri-"

"Hey, hey, did you know~?" Haruka asked. "Daigo actually beat Senri with only _one_ Pokémon! I guess that's what _happens_ when you don't have a _balanced team_-"

Haruka heard it coming, the sound of an outraged shriek her only warning. It was enough. She whipped about and grabbed the girl's hand before it could impact with her face in the form of a slap. The girl quivered as she glared daggers at Haruka, her hand firmly trapped in Haruka's.

"Can I help you~?" Haruka asked, smiling. Phoenix snarled, her feathers bristled as plumes of smoke rose from her nostrils. Zu leaned forward, still on Haruka's shoulder as his eyes darted between Phoenix and the attacker.

"You!" the girl growled, then yanked her hand back. "Don't touch me!"

Haruka let the girl retrieve her hand, her large smile still plastered on her face.

"You tell her, Kimiko!"

"Of all the _nerve_!"

"Did you see that? How dare she!"

Kimiko wiped her hand on her skirt, as if removing Haruka's germs. The gesture didn't irritate Haruka as intended, who continued to look quite cheerful.

"I've heard enough from you!" Kimiko said, then pointed at Haruka. "I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

Haruka looked Kimiko over. She didn't see any Pokéball but that didn't necessarily mean anything. "A Pokémon battle?"

"_Yes_," Kimiko sneered. "A _Pokémon_ battle!" The other girls giggled at Haruka's 'stupidity'.

"Do you _have_ a Pokémon?" Haruka asked.

"_Yes_, I have one!" Kimiko snarled. She pulled a Pokéball out from down her shirt, causing Haruka's eyebrows to arch.

"...Pokémon aren't bra-stuffers, you know," Haruka said.

Kimiko's face turned several shades of red. "How dare-!"

"I know Senri only cares about Pokémon and big boobies," Haruka said with a hum. "But I think they're supposed to be _separate_."

Kimiko's eyes darted to Haruka's ample chest and her face turned so red that she looked about ready to burst in to flames. She jerked the Pokéball at Haruka, as if stabbing her with it. "Are we doing this or not!_?_"

"What do I get if I win?" Haruka asked.

"Er, what?" Kimiko was taken back.

"What are you wagering?" Haruka asked.

Kimiko paused, then scowled. "Nothing!"

"Then why should I battle you?" Haruka tilted her head.

"Because I challenged you!" Kimiko said, as if that was reason enough.

"So?" Haruka asked.

"S-so?" Kimiko repeated in disbelief. "S-so I challenged you! It's a matter of pride!"

"Don't care~!" Haruka said, with a shrug. "Make a wager or I won't accept~!"

"I-" Kimiko struggled to respond.

"Kimiko, you can do it!"

"She's just running her mouth!"

"She's such a fake! As fake as her breasts!"

Kimiko grew emboldened by the other girls' encouragement. Either that, or she was afraid of losing face in front of a crowd. "Fine! When I win, you'll admit Senri's superiority!"

"No," Haruka said, firmly.

"W-what?" Kimiko stared.

"Don't – _care_," Haruka repeated, enunciating each word. She looked down at her Pokédex. "How about three thousand yen?"

"T-three t-thousand-?" Kimiko choked.

"That's about how much Senri's worth," Haruka said, with a giggle. "Or should I go _lower~_?"

Steam rose from Kimiko's head as she fumed. "F-fine! Senri's worth more than that! He's worth a million... no, _two_ million yen!"

"Let's stick to three thousand," Haruka said. "I'd feel so guilty taking more."

"I'll make you regret being such a bitch!" Kimiko growled. She pulled out her Pokédex, while Haruka entered the challenge in to her own. Haruka selected Kimiko's name on the local Wi-Fi list and the Pokédex beeped, signaling that the official challenge had been sent. A similar beep came from Kimiko's Pokédex as the challenge was received.

"You'll have to accept it first," Haruka said. "I set it to two-on-two, because I only have two."

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing!" Kimiko growled as she typed at her Pokédex. "I get to choose any of my two against _your_ two!"

"Okay, okay~!" Haruka said. Her Pokédex told her what Pokémon the girl had and stated that they were about the same level as Haruka's. It'd be an even match, so she would have to try her best – especially since one of Kimiko's Pokémon was a Marill. She was absolutely certain Kimiko would pick it, because it had a type advantage over Phoenix.

Haruka was more than a little surprised when Kimiko didn't choose the Marill and instead picked her Beautifly and Jigglypuff. Haruka stared in disbelief at Kimiko, who looked quite smug with her selection. "...Seriously?"

"Hm?" Kimiko's smirk widened.

Haruka was silent for a moment, then shook her head. Maybe there was a strategy that she wasn't seeing; she was still just a rookie. It ultimately didn't matter, as Kimiko was her opponent. The girl's choices were her own, and Haruka would have to deal with whatever strategy the girl had in mine. "Ne-ver-mind~! Let's do it!"

Kimiko smirked and pulled out her first Pokéball. She tossed the little red and white ball forward, causing it to open and release a burst of light. Beautifly emerged from within the Pokéball, fluttering its wings. The Beautify sparkled, her wings covered in glitter paint and twin star clips on each antennae.

Haruka blinked and then envisioned Phoenix covered in glitter with star clips on her head. The Torchic's imaginary deadpan expression nearly sent the teenage girl in to a giggling fit. Haruka covered her mouth as her cheeks puffed up. "Ffff-!"

"What's so funny!_?_" Kimiko demanded, her cheek twitching.

Haruka waved her hand dismissively. "N-no, no~! I'm fine!" Phoenix growled lowly, the sound drawing Haruka out of her barely contained laughter. She returned her attention to her Pokémon, who glared daggers at the insect Pokémon in front of her. The teenage trainer blinked, then smiled and tilted her head. "Do you want to handle this, Phoenix?"

Phoenix nodded sharply, her eyes intense. Haruka set the Torchic down, noting that Phoenix's feathers were puffed up. The moment the Torchic's feet touched the ground, Phoenix rushed forward towards the Beautifly.

"Hmph, what an _ugly_ Pokémon," Kimiko said, with a sniff of her nose. "Do you even brush her? Not that it'd _help_."

Haruka looked hard at Kimiko, then smiled. "Hey, did you know?" Kimiko arched an eyebrow. "Bug-types are _flammable_."

Phoenix snorted a flicker of fire out from her nostrils, eyes narrowing. She then opened her beak and a burst of flame shot out of her mouth. She spat the Ember attack towards the Beautifly, who retaliated with a small cloud of power. Unfortunately for the butterfly Pokémon, the powder did nothing to halt the flames; instead, the fire incinerated it instantly before connecting violently with the Beautifly. The Beautifly let out a pained squeak, which quickly turned to a panicked shriek when the glitter on its wings burst in to flames.

"B-Beauty!" Kimiko cried out as her Pokémon fluttered about, its wings smoldering as the fire viciously attacked both bug and glitter. A bright light engulfed the Beautifly as the Pokéball's security feature activated, recalling the Pokémon before its injuries could become serious – or _worse_. The Pokéball inactivated its release mechanism, causing it to become unavailable. The icon for Beauty blackened out, signaling her defeat to both trainers.

"W-what... what did you-?" Kimiko struggled for words.

Haruka's expression deadpanned, her usual cheer completely gone. "You added _flammable_ glitter to an already _flammable_ Pokémon? Are you _stupid_?"

"What-!_?_" Kimiko shrieked.

"Did you tie a lightning rod to your Marill, too?" Haruka asked, her tone and face devoid of all amusement. "Are you _really_ a Pokémon trainer or did you just get them as a fashion statement?"

"S-shut up!" Kimiko screamed as she grabbed her remaining Pokéball. "I won't be lectured by the likes of _you_! You could _never_ understand _style_!"

"People like you shouldn't have Pokémon," Haruka said, then looked down at Phoenix. The Torchic was seething, smoke billowing out of her nose. Haruka furrowed her eyebrows while Zu hopped down from his trainer's shoulder. Zu stood by Haruka, watching the Torchic intently.

"Go, Bubu!" Kimiko snapped as she released her second Pokémon.

A Jigglypuff, hot pink in color with a white heart shape on her forehead, appeared with a burst of light much like Beauty had. She pouted her lips together as her cheeks puffed up. "Buuu!"

"That's right, Bubu!" Kimiko said as she pointed at Haruka. "Get her back for Beauty!"

"Buu!" the Jigglypuff inhaled, inflating itself like a balloon, before she charged at Phoenix and slapped her repeatedly in the face. The Torchic grimaced as she tensed, the force of the strikes pushing her back slightly.

It only served to make Phoenix even more angry. With a snarl, the Torchic retaliated by slamming her head in to the Jigglypuff, sending it bouncing backwards like a beach ball.

"Bubu!" Kimiko gasped as her Pokémon came to a stop by her feet, the Jigglypuff looking dazed.

"You should have told her to dodge." Haruka said 'innocently', then giggled and stuck out her tongue.

"Y-you!" Kimiko clenched her hands in to fists. "Don't mock me!"

Haruka shrugged, then looked down at her Pokémon. The Torchic was still smoldering, her eyes and posture hostile. The teenage girl frowned, but then pointed at the dazed Bubu. "Phoenix, use Ember again!"

Phoenix didn't need to be told twice. The Jigglypuff barely had time to get to her feet before she was slammed by Phoenix's flames. The pink puffball flailed her stubby arms as the fire singed her fur, seconds before the Pokéball's emergency recall activated. The Pokéball went dark, just like Beauty's, as the Pokémon was defeated.

"B-Bubu!" Kimiko muttered before she collapsed to her knees. "I-I lost?"

"No way, no way!"

"S-she cheated!"

"Don't let her get away with that!"

The other girls screamed their disapproval at both Kimiko and Haruka, some even grabbing their own Pokéballs. Haruka simply smiled before moving to pick Phoenix up. Phoenix huffed, spitting out smoke, and then tensed as she was touched suddenly. The Torchic looked up at Haruka with wild eyes, her body hot against Haruka's skin.

Haruka didn't drop her fire Pokémon, instead smiling gently. "It's okay, you're done. No more, okay?"

Phoenix blinked before the tension slowly eased out of her body. Her muscles were still clenched, but she reclined against her trainer's chest as her body temperature dropped. Zu watched the whole exchange closely, gripping Haruka's leg.

"It's not over!" Kimiko snapped as she scrambled to her feet, face red and tears in her eyes. "You-!"

"Haruka!"

A sharp, collective gasp from the girls told Haruka all she needed to know about who it was. She knew she recognized the voice, but the girls' reaction simply confirmed it. Her face deadpanned for a moment before she turned about, a bright smile plastered on her face. "Senri~!"

A middle-aged man with slick, dark black hair and a widow's peak rushed towards her. He wore blue pants with thick brown boots and a long-sleeved, high-colored shirt that was red with black trim around the collars and sleeves, a black zipper down the front, and black vertical stripes. Behind him was a rather panicked looking young woman with thick glasses and a black suit. Senri approached Haruka with a bright smile on his face. "Mitsuko said you'd be coming, and here you are! Having a Pokémon battle, no less! Congratulations on your win!"

"S-Senri-!" Kimiko gasped out as she began to hyperventilate. She fanned herself vigorously with both hands. "O-h my gawd!"

Haruka did her best to ignore the urge to roll her eyes. The other girls seemed to be in a similar state of excitement, to busy squealing over the arrival of the Gym Leader to remember their hostility towards their enemy. She ignored them and continued to smile. "Yep, yep! I'm a Pokémon trainer now!"

"Good, good!" Senri said. "And a battler, at that! I was worried that Yuki'd get you doing _contests_ instead, but here you are with an EV-trained Torchic! That's some high level Pokémon training, Haruka!"

"Oh? Is it?" Haruka asked. She had no idea what EV-training was, but it called to mind what the League had said about Phoenix's old trainer. She had only recently received Phoenix, so any real training would naturally be a result of _his_ actions. Did EV-training have anything to do with why he had abused Phoenix and her friends?

"Are you going to challenge my gym?" Senri asked.

"Sir," the young woman in the suit interrupted. "Your schedule is booked."

"I can squeeze you in!" Senri said.

"Sir-!_?_" the assistant gaped at the Gym Leader.

"Just say the word, we could do it today!" Senri said, over his assistant's sputtering protests.

"Not yet, not yet~!" Haruka said. "Phoenix and Zu aren't ready yet."

"Oh," Senri looked vastly disappointed for a brief moment, but then quickly recovered. "Of course, Well, we'll just schedule your challenge for later! How's a few months from now sound?"

"_Sir_-!" the assistant said.

Haruka could tell that she wasn't getting away without an appointment. "Okay, okay. I should have many more Pokémon by then. Maybe even Phoenix and Zu will evolve by then~!"

"That's right!" Senri said, with a laugh. "Because Normal-types are weak to Fighting-types!" He then hooked an arm around Haruka's shoulder and turned to his assistant, flashing a victory finger sign. "Say 'Pokémon'!"

"Pokémon~!" Haruka said with a smile, as the assistant suddenly pulled out a camera and snapped a picture. Phoenix and Zu blinked as their picture was taken along with their trainer, staring at the assistant and then Haruka.

"Great!" Senri said as he took the camera and checked the picture through the back display screen. "I'll have my assistant set the date, then send you the reservation through your Pokédex."

"Isn't it rude of me to interrupt?" Haruka asked. "Someone else has an appointment first, right? So _long_ in advance, too!"

"Haruka," Senri said, his tone playfully scolding. "We're practically family."

Haruka continued to smile.

"Oh my gawd, do you see that?"

"Senri treats her so well and she's too stuck up to even appreciate it!"

"That ungrateful bitch!"

The girls spoke quietly, les Senri hear their sniping. Naturally, they still wanted Haruka to hear it. Haruka didn't care, as she knew that she was ruffling their feathers without even having to try.

That was the best revenge anyone could hope for.

* * *

><p>Haruka sighed as she stretched out on the bed in her hotel room. She had taken her shoes off, which currently rested by the door, and undid her hairpins so that her hair could flow freely down her shoulders. Phoenix rested on the pillows while Zu leaned up against Haruka, half-asleep.<p>

"Mff, I wanted to do more today," Haruka grumbled, as she set her laptop on the bed between her legs and attached it to her Pokédex using a black USB cord.

After the trainer battle she had with Kimiko, Senri had taken over the rest of her day. He insisted on taking her out to lunch, and spent the whole time chattering with her about Pokémon battles. She was only able to escape him when she mentioned needing to go catch more Pokémon before their match. He had actually seemed tempted to go with her, but Senri's assistant finally managed to assert some common sense and got the Gym Leader back to his duties.

By then, it was nearly night. While she could have traveled in the dark, she promised her mother she wouldn't. Thus, she had no choice but to get a hotel in town. She _could_ have stayed with Senri for free, but she'd rather pay the money.

Besides, her winnings would cover the night!

"Hmhmhm," Haruka grinned as she checked her bank account and saw the winnings, safe and sound. The Pokédexes prevented the losers from backing out of the wager. She was sure Kimiko would have, if given the chance. Haruka knew better than to have an unregistered battle, especially against creeps. They'd never pay up willingly.

Haruka continued to hum as she logged on to Pokébook. She didn't check it often, but she was fully expected to see something from Senri about that afternoon. Senri didn't disappoint, as Haruka immediately found a picture post from the Gym Leader; it was a shot of Haruka and Senri in front of the gym, with Phoenix and Zu looking confused.

Underneath the photo was a comment from Senri. "It looks like the family tradition is alive and well!"

Several people had already commented on the picture; while Haruka didn't know them personally, she recognized the names as the various Gym Leaders across Hoenn.

"Ho, are you sure you should be posting this where your wife can see?"

"Is that a Piplup?"

"My, my. Is that the young lady you've told me about?"

Senri replied to the commenting Gym Leaders. "Yes, indeed! And she's coming your way, so watch out!"

"Hm." Haruka continued to scroll through the comments, her eyes scanning over them. Mitsuko had chimed in, gushing about how far Haruka had gotten in a single day. The teenage girl rolled her eyes. Two towns over was hardly an accomplishment.

Haruka read further through the large conversation. She still hadn't found the one name she wanted to see, the one name she was sure both Senri and Mitsuko wanted to see. She knew it was inevitable, less a question of 'if' and more a matter of 'when'.

Yuki didn't disappoint. At the very bottom of the picture post was a message, short and sweet with its capital letters and exclamation points.

"DAD!_!_!_!_!_!_!"

Haruka giggled, as Senri proceeded to reply to his son as if the boy hadn't spent the last several months in radio silence. "Yuki, you're so predictable~!"

In hindsight, Haruka imagined that Senri and Mitsuko were looking forward to her gaining her trainer's license as much as _she_ had. She didn't really mind that she was being used as bait to lure out their wayward son – it was his fault, considering he chose to sever all contact.

Of course, it was _their_ fault that he chose to sever that contact in the first place. Senri wasted no time in starting an argument with his son. It was the same argument as always, every time.

"You don't hear anything about how 'so and so was such a great contestant'! No one takes contests seriously!" Senri argued.

"Yes, they do! You'd know that if you actually bothered to listen! Contests are just as legitimate as battles! Maybe even more so!" Yuki retaliated.

"_Battling_ is the big time, it's what people care about! No one cares about putting Pokémon in frilly dresses!"

"I don't care what other people care about!"

Haruka's eyes darted to her messenger program, where she was online, available, and waiting. She knew that Yuki'd be on shortly. He always was, after these kinds of arguments with his father. The fact that he hadn't had one for nearly half a year didn't change her expectation. All she had to do was wait.

"We're not having this conversation! Just stay away from Haruka!" Yuki wrote.

"Hard to do that when she's a battler and I'm a Gym Leader!" Senri retorted.

"She doesn't need your badge!"

"We have an appointment in two months!"

Yuki's username signed on, a little jingle marking his arrival. Haruka barely had time to click on the messenger program when a chat window popped up.

"You don't need his badge!" Yuki wrote to her.

Haruka giggled as she typed. "Hello, Yuki~!"

There was a definite pause before the response came. "Good evening. How are you?"

"I'm fine~! I'm a Pokémon Trainer now! \o/" Haruka typed back.

"I noticed. Really, you don't need his badge. There are plenty of gyms and you only need half to qualify for any major tournament. Any more than that and it's just excessive."

Haruka hummed for a moment. It was true that all gym badges in the continent weren't necessary, but the same could be said about all the contest ribbons. And yet Yuki was bound and determined to get every single one. Haruka didn't point that out, however, as she knew what Yuki was _really_ getting at. It ultimately didn't matter, as she had her own purpose for the conversation. "Hey, Yuki~?"

"Yes?"

"Why don't we travel together? :3" Haruka typed.

The moment Haruka's question appeared on the screen, there was complete silence. Haruka knew that Yuki was completely taken back by her asking so bluntly and openly. She could visualize his face, bright ruby in color like his eyes. If hair could blush, even his short, neatly trimmed black hair would be scarlet. She imagined he was blushing, sputtering, and struggling for a response to her very candid question.

Haruka knew how Yuki would respond. Naturally, she hoped to be surprised, but she didn't count on it. That was why she wasn't shocked to see the boy's eventual answer.

"His fans are crazy, you know. You really should stay away from him, or they'll target you."

Haruka pursed her lips. As always, he changed the subject. Even though she had expected it, it still irritated her. "Boooooo." She then leaned forward to type. "If it's so dangerous, shouldn't we travel to-ge-ther? Safety in numbers~!"

"We had to put locks on our trash cans, remember? Otherwise, they'd take our garbage and probably build a shrine or something."

Haruka sighed. She knew that Yuki'd avoid the subject. She wouldn't have needed to track him like a stalker if he'd agree so easily to travel with her. It was just one more thing to blame Senri for. She was definitely not a fan of that Gym Leader.

The teenage girl sighed again, then looked at the screen. Yuki was rambling about the various things that Senri's fans had done in the past, no doubt panicking over Haruka's lack of participation. He knew that he was being obvious and was hoping that Haruka would just drop the subject, like always.

Haruka decided to humor him. "Hey, hey. Didn't one try to make a voodoo doll out of your mom's hair? Using hair they pulled out of hairbrushes?"

"Don't remind me." Despite the words, Haruka could tell that Yuki was relieved. That was fine, let him think that he had dodged a bullet. It just meant that he would be caught completely by surprise when Haruka hunted him down.

Let's see him change the subject _then_.

"Anyway!" Haruka typed. "It's a bit too late for that."

"What? Why?" came Yuki's response.

"I already made some of them mad~!" Haruka typed.

"What!_?_" Yuki typed back. Haruka could almost see the teenage boy bristle protectively.

"Don't worry~! Phoenix beat her Pokémon, noooo problem! All by her-self!" Haruka wrote.

"That's not the problem! They could be slandering you all over their stupid blogs right now!" Yuki protested.

"Slander is spoken, libel is written~~~~~!" Haruka replied. When Yuki didn't reply, Haruka immediately suspected that he was checking the blogs. She typed again. "Yuuuukiii~~ you worry too much about what people think! They can say what-ev-er they want~~!"

"I knew it! They are!" was Yuki's response, followed by a link to a blog. "They're talking trash about you!"

Haruka rolled her eyes and clicked on the link. It popped up in her web browser and took her to a blog, titled Senrisational. It was rather gaudy in design, with glitter and bright pink and orange – colors unbefitting a Gym Leader.

The layout alone strongly reminded her of someone, but she initially couldn't figure out who. As she read the latest post, however, the answer quickly came to her. The post was about an 'uppity trollop' with a Torchic who slandered Senri in front of his own gym, and then was sent crying home through the blogger's Pokémon skills. Hundreds of people responded, liking the blog and praising its owner while simultaneously mocking the 'trollop'.

"Ah!" Haruka typed to Yuki. "It's Double-Flammable Beautifly Girl!"

"Who?" Yuki asked.

"One sec, one sec~!" Haruka wrote. She then opened up Pokébook and saved the picture of Senri and herself in front of the gym. After securing the file, she navigated to an anonymous file hosting website. Uploading the picture she saved to the site, Haruka returned to the Senrisational blog and typed up an anonymous comment. It was simply a link to the picture and a smiling emoticon.

The reaction was immediate, and everything Haruka had hoped it would be. Her comment was instantly attacked by several girls, all posting in capital letters as they yelled at her. Haruka watched, smiling as she refreshed the page. In less than a minute, she had over a hundred poorly written comments.

"She'll delete the comment when she logs in," Haruka typed to Yuki. "More-than-like-ly!"

"What are you doing!_?_ They're going crazy! They're after you!"

"Well, maybe we should travel together then?" Haruka typed with a small smirk.

"This is serious! They might try to hurt you!"

"That's what ta-sers are for~!" Haruka typed.

There was a momentary pause before Yuki's response. "What?"

Haruka's reply was a smiling emoticon.

"Haruka, I'm being serious." Yuki wrote.

"Hey," Haruka typed. "What's EV-training?"

Yuki didn't respond immediately. Haruka didn't know if the question itself had surprised him or if it was the fact that she had employed his own tactic and changed the subject. After a few moments, he replied. "EV-training just refers to maximizing a Pokémon's strengths and minimizing its weaknesses through special training. It's like training a Rapidash to be faster and increase its stamina, while building a resistance to water."

Haruka hummed. "So it's just training really hard?"

"All Pokémon have things they are good at, and things they are bad at. It's not just species, but individual genetics too. If a Pokémon's species is naturally strong, and the Pokémon's parents are considered strong even compared to its own species, that makes it easier to maximize its potential. However, _all_ Pokémon can become strong, even if it doesn't have a genetic or innate advantage. People just use that as an excuse to dump Pokémon who require more work than others."

"So Phoenix was EV-trained to make her better?" Haruka asked, out loud. She glanced at the Torchic, who lazily looked at her from her position on the pillows.

"Why do you ask?" Yuki asked.

"Senri said my Torchic was EV-trained," Haruka said. "I guess EV-training can be bad?"

"All training can be bad, if done by bad people. People do dirty things to win."

"So it's not inherently bad." Haruka mused.

"How did you get an EV-trained Torchic, anyway?"

Haruka smiled. "She didn't catch me on fire."

There was dead silence for a good minute before Yuki replied. "What?"

Haruka responded with a smiling emoticon.


	4. Chapter 4

Haruka was up at the crack of dawn, on her way to the next town. Zu and Phoenix were still very much asleep, groggily clinging to their trainer as they rode the scooter with her. Haruka had given them the option of going in to their Pokéballs to sleep, but both refused. She understood the resistance – Phoenix was most likely traumatized, and Zu would feel left out. She'd just drive slowly, so as not to disturb them.

There was something magical about the countryside at dawn. Shadows from the previous night still lingered, not willing to disappear just yet. The rising sun cast a soft glow across the horizon, a red aura that had no hope of clearing the morning dew. Even the Pokémon were still, the nightwalkers settling down to sleep while the morning risers hadn't quite _risen_ yet.

Which was the reason why Haruka immediately noticed the strange boy by the side of the road. He had short, fluffy green hair and wore a white silk shirt that was very loose on his body. Even his blue pants looked as though they barely fit him. From her scooter, Haruka could tell that the boy looked miserable. Without a second thought, the teenage girl slowed down before stopping her scooter in the road.

Haruka blinked slowly, then smiled. "Good morning~!"

"Ah?" The young man jumped and whipped around. He was startled to see another human being up so early, least of all a complete stranger calling to him. He gaped at Haruka for a moment, then fidgeted. "G-good morning."

"Something wrong?" Haruka asked. She eyed the boy's pale complexion and dark bags under his eyes. He was either sick or exceptionally tired, perhaps even both. It was hard to be sure.

"I'm, um," The boy paused, then looked away. "I'm looking for Pokémon."

"Oh? You're a trainer too~?" Haruka's smile brightened. "Hi~! I'm Haruka, and I'm also a Pokémon trainer!"

"I'm... Mitsuru," the boy said, sullenly.

"So, hey, hey~?" Haruka tilted her head. "How are you going to catch a Pokémon with no Pokémon?"

"I... thought I'd catch them while they were asleep." Mitsuru replied as he glanced towards the trees.

Haruka frowned. "And if they wake up and attack you?"

"I'd, um... I'd run away." Mitsuru said. He seemed very aware of how foolish his plan sounded, even to himself, as his face turned red.

Haruka stared hard at Mitsuru, causing the boy to squirm. She then smiled and got off her scooter. "No good, no good. Not gonna happen~!"

"Er, what?" Mitsuru turned to look at Haruka in confusion.

"Watch!" Haruka said. She turned to her Piplup. "Ready, Zu?"

Zu chirped and hopped down off the scooter. He stopped long enough to glance at Phoenix, who glared daggers at him. The Piplup paused, then hurried over to Haruka.

"What? N-no, that's fine!" Mitsuru protested, raising his hands. "It's too much to ask of you–"

"You didn't ask," Haruka said cheerfully, then took a deep breath before letting out a bellowing scream. "_Good Morning_!"

The trees rustled violently as Pokémon exploded from their resting places in a panic. Bird-type Pokémon took to flight while others stumbled in a daze. Even Mitsuru flinched, covering his ears as the loud sound echoed in the once still morning. Haruka hummed as she looked over the Pokémon, spotting various Zigzagoons, but nothing too interesting.

At least, not until she spied a disoriented Ralts wobbling to the bushes. Haruka pointed at the escaping Pokémon.

"Zu!" Haruka said. "Go, go!"

Zu lunged forward, waddling quickly towards the Ralts before back fisting it with a flipper. The Ralts squeaked and fell forward on its face, hitting the ground hard.

"Go, go for it!" Haruka said as she pumped her fists in the air. "Throw a Pokéball, Mit-su-ru!"

Mitsuru looked panicked, uncertain what to do. However, at Haruka's urging, he pulled out an empty Pokéball from his pocket and threw it at the Ralts. As the Pokéball neared the downed Pokémon, it activated. A bright light shot out of the Pokéball and engulfed the Ralts, drawing the Pokémon in. The Pokéball hit the ground, the Ralts inside, and wobbled slightly before going still. The Pokémon didn't even attempt to escape, and the Pokéball locked, securing itself and registering the new Ralts to Mitsuru's Pokédex.

"Congrats!" Haruka said as she clapped her hands. "You caught it~!"

"B-but I didn't–" Mitsuru began.

"Did you throw the Pokéball?" Haruka asked.

"Um, yes–?"

"Then you caught it~!" Haruka said, with a giggle. "Congrats~!"

Mitsuru was quiet for a moment, then smiled. "Thank you."

Haruka giggled again, then tilted her head. "Though, why didn't you have a starter? They give them to all new trainers, right?"

"...I had one." Mitsuru instantly looked sullen again, his good mood disappearing. "But it's gone now."

"Gone?" Haruka was taken back by the answer. She grabbed her Pokédex and opened it. Seeing Mitsuru's name on the local wifi, she activated the boy's profile. It showed two Pokéballs – both active. "...Gone where?"

"Does it matter?" Mitsuru mumbled as he held his new Pokéball to his chest. "I'll never get him back..."

"Someone _took_ it?" Haruka was horrified. "You need to report it–"

"I can't!" Mitsuru said, his outburst surprising Haruka. The boy paused and quivered, hunching his shoulders. "I tried so hard just to get my Pokémon license. I tried so hard to convince my parents that I could do this, that I'm not so... so...! If they knew that I _already_ lost my starter–!"

Haruka was quiet as Mitsuru began to sob, his body shaking. He looked too frail, to the point that his body looked about to break with each heave. She continued to watch in silence for a moment, then tilted her head. "Hey, Mitsuru~?"

Mitsuru sniffled and raised his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. He stopped and stared at Haruka, his eyes wide as the girl had a smile that seemed far too wide for her face. "Huh?"

"Where is this jackass~?"

* * *

><p>Haruka's scooter hummed along as it carried both the teenage girl and her passengers. Mitsuru blushed as he sat on the scooter behind Haruka, his arms around her waist. Zu sat on his shoulder, holding on to Mitsuru's head, while Phoenix sat in Haruka's lap. The Torchic kept her head turned the whole trip, watching Mitsuru with her piercing eyes. Haruka focused on the road. Trees and dense foliage passed her by as she traveled to her destination.<p>

"You... you don't have to do this." Mitsuru said, raising his voice to be heard.

"Who said I did~?" Haruka asked, causing the boy to go silent.

Eventually the trees gave way to a school. Deep forests turned to mowed sports fields and a fat brick building at the center. It felt so surreal to visit a high school and not actually be required to go to class – surreal and exciting. It made Haruka feel like a real adult.

Still, Haruka had to focus, she had a job to do. Parking her scooter in the visitors' parking lot, the teenage girl got off her scooter and straightened up. Glancing to Mitsuru, the teenage boy hesitated before pointing towards the side of the school, far from the front gate. Haruka nodded and headed in the direction of her quarry, her fists clenched. Phoenix paused as she sat on the scooter, then quickly hopped down and hurried after. Mitsuru hesitated and looked down at Zu, who chirped up at him. Grimacing, Mitsuru picked up Zu and held him to his chest while following after the two girls.

"Shut up, I know what I'm doing!"

"C'mon, seriously?"

"Let me try!"

"Hands off!"

"Look, I'll just take it to my Dad, he–"

Haruka paused as she heard the bickering. She glanced around before edging closer to the wall that made up the side of the school. Hiding against the wall were three boys in school uniforms, though their attire was disheveled. They looked to be about her age, and much taller than her or Mitsuru. She watched as the boys fussed over a small Pokéball, one attempting to pry it open with a screwdriver. Haruka's eyes narrowed and she moved forward, her jaw clenching.

"Damn it, why won't it _open__!_?" the first boy snarled in frustration, as he was about to slam the Pokéball on the ground.

"Because it's not yours," Haruka said. The boys stopped and turned to stare at Haruka, not recognizing her voice as someone from their school. "You stole it."

"What're you talkin' about?" the first boy said as he straightened up, holding the Pokéball. "It's mine."

"No, it's not~! Liar, liar, liar~!" Haruka said, her voice singsong.

The second boy's cheek twitched. "What the hell do _you _know?"

Haruka pulled out her Pokédex, flipping it open. "I know that if you had a Pokédex, it'd appear on my screen! I – don't – see – you~! So you don't! And if you don't have a Po-ké-dex, a Po-ké-ball won't register to you. No Pokéball means no Pokémon, which means you better give it back~!"

The boy paused as he glared at Haruka. He didn't particularly like how she showed no sign of fear about confronting three boys much larger than herself. As he sized up the teenage girl much shorter than him, he caught sight of Mitsuru awkwardly watching from around the corner. "...You little shit! You sent a girl after me–_?_!"

"Give Mitsuru his Pokémon." Haruka said, her tone sharp as her smile disappeared. The three boys stared at Haruka, her face harsh. When their attention returned to her, the teenage girl smiled again.

"Bullshit! We traded, fair and square!" the second boy said.

"Nope, nope~!" Haruka said, a smile. "That'd require a Pokédex and you don't _have_ one! Re-mem-ber~?"

"Look, I don't give a shit what you say," the first boy said. "If you _really_ want the Pokéball, you gotta give me something better," The boy pointed at Zu as he smirked. "How about your Piplup?"

"No, man, screw _that_!" the third boy nudged the first roughly with his elbow, then pointed at Haruka's chest. "What the hell, you don't see _that_?"

Haruka looked at the boys as she put her hands on her hips, her smile gone and her eyes narrowed.

"Hah! Hell yeah," the second boy's smile widened as his own eyes focused on Haruka's assets. "That's _much_ better..."

"What's it gonna be, girlie~?" the first boy asked, leaning forward with a leer.

Haruka's response was swift and brutal. Lunging forward, none of the boys were prepared for Haruka's fist as it impacted solidly with the first boy's face. The first boy yelped as his head jerked back, hitting the brick wall behind him. He immediately dropped the Pokéball, which Haruka snatched up before the other two boys could react.

"S-shit–!" the second boy gawked at his downed friend, then noticed Haruka walking away. He growled and clenched his fists before lunging at the teenage girl. "You bit–!"

"Haruka!" Mitsuru cried out, panicked.

Haruka paused and whirled about, bringing her fist up so that she struck the attacking boy in the face as he drew near. The second boy gurgled as his nose broke, blood gushing out his nostrils and down his face. Choking and stunned, he stumbled back and clutched his face.

The third boy backed away. "H-hey! I'll call the cops!"

"Go ahead," Haruka said, without looking back. "Stealing Pokémon is a felony."

Phoenix growled, her eyes narrowed. She huffed out smoke, her feathers bristling. Mitsuru stared at Haruka as he held Zu to his chest, the Piplup watching the boys intently. Haruka smiled as she approached and held out the Pokéball to Mitsuru.

"Let's go, okay~?"

* * *

><p>"Thank you for helping me," Mitsuru said. He stood in front of his house, holding both of his Pokéballs. Haruka was back on her scooter, with Phoenix in her lap and Zu clinging to her back.<p>

"No problem, no problem~!" Haruka said, waving her hand dismissively.

"No, really," Mitsuru said. "You saved my Pokémon."

Haruka paused at that, then gripped the scooter handlebars. "You need to save them from now on, okay?"

"I..." Mitsuru hesitated.

"They'll protect you," Haruka said. "And you protect them. That's what it means to be a trainer."

Mitsuru looked down at the Pokéballs. He reached up to smooth out the scuffed surface where the screwdriver had peeled the paint. "But what if I can't...?"

"At least you tried," Haruka said. "That's also being a trainer."

Mitsuru was quiet for a moment, then shifted awkwardly. "Hey, Haruka?"

"Hm~?" Haruka tilted her head.

"Sometime, when I'm... when I'm a _real_ trainer," Mitsuru began. His courage began to waiver and he shifted from side to side before he managed to find it again. "Will you battle me?"

Haruka smiled and clapped her hands. "Of course~!"

Mitsuru smiled, his deep blush quite visible on his pale cheeks. "Thank you. I'll... do my best."

Haruka waved to Mitsuru as she started up her scooter. The teenage boy waved back and watched as the teenage girl drove off, Phoenix still staring hard at him while Zu waved his flipper.

Mitsuru watched as Haruka drove away until she disappeared down the road, heading off to continue her journey. He reached in to his pocket and flipped open his Pokédex, looking at Haruka's profile. It had been saved to his friends list and didn't disappear even when Haruka left the wifi radius.

"It's a promise."

* * *

><p>Haruka was feeling rather proud of herself as she rode her scooter. She didn't mind the delay this time – it was for a good cause. She hoped Mitsuru would learn from the incident and try to stand up for himself next time. She didn't expect him to beat up bullies, but certainly he could make the right choice and get the police involved if anything bad happened again. A trainer had to do what was best for their Pokémon, even if it wasn't best for <em>them<em>.

"He'll be fiiiine," Haruka thought. "He's a good person."

The rest of the trip to Kanazumi City was uneventful, though Haruka didn't mind. It gave her a chance to relax and enjoy the scenery and the trip itself. Even going over the sea bridge that connected Touka City and Kanazumi City was a joy. The bridge curled along the southwest edge of Hoenn, connecting the south and west coasts. Haruka drove over the bridge, sticking her feet out to the sides as the sea breeze wafted over her. Zu enjoyed the experience, sticking his head up and closing his eyes. Phoenix was far less amused, hunkering down in Haruka's lap so that the trainer acted as a windbreak.

By the time Haruka arrived in the port city of Kanazumi, it was past noon and time for lunch. Haruka puttered down main street as she admired the city, all the while keeping an eye out for a cafe or restaurant. The city was huge, and for good reason. Ports were Hoenn's access to the world – nothing came to Hoenn that didn't arrive by boat or airplane.

Even now, huge boats filled the docks. Haruka saw cruise ships, supertankers, and cargo ships of all sizes. As a native of Hoenn, she was very familiar with boats. However, the sight of a pirate ship was still enough to give Haruka reason to pause and gawk. Pulling her scooter to the side of the road, the teenage girl stared at what could only be described as a pirate ship. It was blue in color with black trim, white sails waving in the wind with a blue pirate flag displaying a strange white symbol she didn't recognize – it looked like a circle with a point on top and two bones sticking out of the bottom. It made Haruka think of the typical skull and crossbones emblem usually associated with pirates.

Even the crew looked like pirates wearing a uniform of blue cargo pants with a white circle pattern running up the sides, a white and black striped shirt, and a blue bandanna displaying the same white logo that was found on their flag. The pirates hustled around the dock, loading cargo on to their ship. Various water Pokémon assisted them, with Pelipper and Wingull watching from their perches on the ship's mast and the dock's moors.

One of the pirates, a tall man, stopped when he noticed Haruka watching and straightened up to stare back at her. When she saw that she had been spotted, Haruka smiled and waved her arm vigorously at the pirate.

"Helloooo~!" she said, beaming. The pirates were probably part of some themed cruise, or an entertainment venue. She certainly felt entertained just seeing them!

The pirate obviously didn't expect that, staring at Haruka in silence. Finally, after a few tense moments, he lifted his hand and waved back awkwardly.

Haruka giggled and waved again before she resumed her quest for lunch. She would have liked to hang around and watch the pirates more, but she had things to do and things to _eat_. Surely a pirate would understand the necessity of something deliciously edible!

Eventually, Haruka found a cute little seafood cafe on the docks. Parking her scooter outside, the teenage girl ordered fresh sushi for her Pokémon and fish 'n chips for herself. Sitting on the patio under an umbrella, Haruka and her Pokémon enjoyed their meal.

"Hmhm~!" Haruka dipped her 'chips', actually fried potato wedges, in to her ketchup before taking a big bite. "Yum~!"

Haruka's Pokémon sat in the other chairs around the small table, eating their fish off the plates in front of them.

"Okay, okay," Haruka said as she munched. "After lunch, we should challenge the gym." Gym battles were usually televised, broadcast across the League's private network. Most gyms accepted walk-ins, where only the really busy gyms needed appointments. Senri, for example, was almost impossible to get an appointment with, and walk-ins were completely out of the question - he was usually booked a year in advance. In his case, trainers made their appointments with him, waited until it was closer to time, and then journeyed around the island to get the others. By the time they were done, their appointment was usually upon them.

"...As always, the world revolves around Senri," Haruka muttered, her smile straining. "No wonder that man is so self-absorbed." The teenage girl paused, then shook her head. She had a lot to do and no time to waste on Senri. Her fish 'n chips wouldn't eat themselves!

After finishing her meal, Haruka wasted no more time in getting herself and her Pokémon over to the Kanazumi City gym. She was fairly confident in herself, at least when it came to this particular gym. She knew that Tsutsuji was a Rock Type trainer, and Zu had a definitive advantage over Rock Types due to his own status as a Water Type.

It meant that she wouldn't be using Phoenix during the fight, but she imagined the Torchic needed a break. Haruka paused in front of the gym as she glanced down at the Torchic in her arms. She didn't particularly like how _intense_ Phoenix had been during the fight with Kimiko. Phoenix had been beside herself with pent-up aggression, and she wasn't entirely certain the behavior was natural. Given her history, Haruka was more willing to guess that the behavior was rooted in what her past trainer did to her.

"I'll try to keep her from battling too much," Haruka muttered. "As much as I can, anyway," Phoenix blinked and looked up at her trainer, who smiled back at her. "Nothing, nevermind~!"

Phoenix blinked again.

Parking her scooter in the parking lot designated for competitors, Haruka looked up at the building in wonder. The Kanazumi City gym looked like a massive building carved inside an even _more_ massive rock. The rock-like formations curled all along the sides of the building, with large double-doors leading inside. On top of the structure, broadcasting for all to see, was the Kanazumi City badge emblem – the Stone Badge. It looked like twin arrow tips pointing in opposite directions, the edges connected together to form a golden rhombus.

Inside, the gym's waiting room reminded Haruka of a large hotel, with fancy chairs lining the walls and various rock sculptures strategically placed to generate ambiance. At the center of the room was an enormous aquarium. The tank itself was decorative, made to resemble a colorful coral reef, with glass windows in the various nooks and crannies so that people could see the fish inside. A large light sat at the center, illuminating the whole tank. While Rock-types were weak to Water-types, Hoenn was still an island. Perhaps the tank was meant to convey the fragile balance between rock and water, or perhaps it was just meant to look pretty. Whatever the reason, Haruka liked looking at it.

Haruka leaned forward to peer at a lion fish, which stared right back at her with its beady eyes. She giggled and puffed up her cheeks, which prompted the lion fish to puff up as well, displaying its tan and black stripped quills. Haruka smiled while Phoenix eyed the tank uneasily. Zu was fascinated by the aquarium, watching the fish intently. He craned his head to keep his eyes on the aquatic residents of the tank, even as Haruka headed over towards the large reception desk towards the back of the building.

The reception desk acted as the gateway further in to the gym, with two doors on either side and a larger one directly behind it. The two on either side lead to the audience chamber, while the main one guarded by a receptionist lead directly to the arena and areas only meant for competitors. Sitting at the desk was a receptionist, a young man with thick glasses. He was typing at the computer when Haruka approached him, getting his attention.

"May I help you?" the young man asked.

"Yes, I'd like to schedule a gym battle, please~!" Haruka said.

"Name?" the young man asked as he typed at the computer.

"Haruka Odamaki," Haruka said.

The secretary typed at the computer for a moment, then glanced up at Haruka. "Please sync your Pokédex to the system."

Haruka flipped open her Pokédex and saw the gym's information appear on her wifi. She accessed the icon and her Pokédex popped up a message that read 'syncing' and a percentage. Haruka hummed as she watched the bar. She knew the gym was verifying her information as well as checking on the status of her Pokémon. It was how the League monitored for abuse and cheating. She didn't know what parameters the League looked for when gauging the health and happiness of her Pokémon, but she was sure she had nothing to worry about. After all, it caught Phoenix's old trainer, so it had to be doing something right.

The secretary typed away at the computer before he paused and blinked. "Ah. You already have an appointment."

Haruka blinked. "...Huh?"

"It's a high-priority walk-in," the secretary said as he looked at the screen. "Sponsored by Senri of–"

"Seriously?" Haruka asked, her deadpan expression confusing the secretary. "He made me an appointment?" That man was being an unbelievable busybody. What if she hadn't wanted to battle the gym, what then? Or was that never a consideration with that man?

The secretary nodded. "Gym Leader Tsutsuji has an opening available right away, if you'd like."

Haruka grunted. She noticed several other trainers staring at her. No doubt they were also walk-ins who were waiting, and she could only imagine the resentment they felt at having to wait while Haruka just walked in and took the first slot available. The sooner she got out of there, the better. "...Okay, thank you."

The secretary typed again as the desk suddenly opened, allowing Haruka entry. He turned and gestured to the door behind him. "Please go to the waiting room, your battle will be in fifteen minutes. The arena is currently being cleaned after the last battle."

Haruka nodded and walked through the opening towards the large door waiting for her. Her mood had taken a considerable blow. She had enough trouble with people accusing her of nepotism – she didn't need Senri adding to it with _real_ acts of nepotism. But it was always about _him_ and _his_ wants, so her feelings were moot. She had been tempted to turn it down, but she knew it wouldn't fix the situation at all.

The teenage girl ignored the looks she was getting as she passed through the double doors. Normally, people with walk-ins had to wait for an opening on a first-come-first-serve basis. Apparently Senri took it upon himself to set an appointment for her, but how would he even know when to make it for? The receptionist had mentioned it as a 'preferred walk-in', but what did that mean? Did that mean the gym had kept its whole schedule open just for her? She hoped that wasn't the case, it didn't sound realistic. She hoped it simply meant that her walk-in would take precedence over the others and get the next available slot, regardless of how long other people had been waiting. It was still an unpleasant thought, but it was much better than thinking Senri was pulling strings to make the whole gym wait around her.

Even so, the situation was irritating. She'd have to check the other gyms and see if he made appointments all over Hoenn. She suspected he had, which only served to irritate her further. That man wanted to control everything, didn't he?

"I might have to call the gyms and set a _real_ appointment, just so that they don't inconvenience everyone else," Haruka muttered. "But that still puts me on _his_ schedule. I want to keep my schedule _open..._"

Zu chirped, tilting his head. Phoenix stared up at her trainer, silent.

Haruka paused, then giggled. "Right, right. Focus on _this_ gym, _then_ worry about the others~!"

Through the doors, a hallway led Haruka deep in to the gym and in to a gigantic stadium. There were thousands of seats reminiscent of an amphitheater, circling a large stage at the center. The stage itself was marked with a white line to indicate boundaries and was designed as a large field of rocks and stone. Ten feet away from the white lined boundaries of the stage was a barrier protecting the crowd from Pokémon projectiles. Four reinforced metal poles constituted the corners of the arena, with cameras mounted on each one that broadcast all fights on the League network. There was no barrier at the moment, but during a Pokémon battle, the poles would generate an energy barrier that would keep stray Hyperbeams or Fireblasts from hitting innocent people. It gave the audience a peace of mind, as well as the trainers.

Overall, it was a very fancy set up, even if there were very few people lounging about in the stadium seating as employees in brown uniforms cleaned up the area. Most normal battles weren't impressive, lest the person had a following or a name to boast. Still, some people enjoyed watching Pokémon battles, even if it was just some kid trying to learn.

Haruka hoped to give the audience something to watch. She glanced over to her left, to see a small door labeled 'challenger waiting room' just before the entrance to the stadium. She opened the door and went inside, finding herself in a locker room. There were benches and showers, as well as lockers. She wouldn't need a locker, but she could certainly use a bench to sit down!

Haruka set Phoenix and Zu on the bench before sitting down with them. "Okay~! Time to wait~!"

Zu looked around before his eyes settled on the Torchic beside him. He froze when he noticed Phoenix' piercing glare, her expression intense. The Piplup squeaked, then quickly looked away.

Haruka opened up her Pokédex. It displayed her match and the time she had left to wait as a counter, each second ticking down. It was a two-on-two match, as Haruka only had two Pokémon. The Gym Leader had _many_ Pokémon available, so the amount the trainer had was what determined the match. The Gym Leader even had Pokémon of various fighting abilities, choosing ones within the same range as their challenger for gym battles. They also had their own ideal teams for when they personally fought for themselves and not merely as part of the badge program, but for the moment, Gym Leader Tsutsuji would choose two of her arsenal of Pokémon within the same level range as Haruka's own Pokémon.

Of course, one might argue that a person could sweep all the gyms with a single Pokémon, and while it would be true for certain types, it also showed that individual's lack of thought and foresight. Sometimes, trainers needed _every_ Pokémon just to stand a chance, especially at expert gyms. Brute force didn't always work, and strategy had to be used – especially when there was a type disadvantage. Haruka was hypothetically fine for the moment, but eventually she would need to create a good team if she meant to take battling seriously.

Haruka hummed as she accessed the League network and saw a video feed of the empty arena, and the crew working on cleaning it. In the corner, there was a picture of Haruka and a countdown ticker, announcing her impending challenge.

The teenage girl grinned before she selected the option to forward a notice to Yuki. He might want to watch her first gym battle, if he wasn't busy with a contest. He had ten minutes to get the notice, though he could also catch a replay if he didn't make it in time. The link would also function as an archive, where a video of the fight would be stored. Either way, he had the option.

Haruka continued to hum as she typed at her Pokédex. She had time to kill and Yuki wasn't online, so she'd have to find a way to entertain herself. On a whim, she went back to the Senrisational blog. She noticed that her thread had reached several thousand replies, though she was certain it was just a couple girls posting constantly. She didn't feel like reading the girls feeding off of her silence and each other, so she ignored it.

Haruka really didn't care at all about what the girls said. She was more concerned with the fact that _Yuki_ cared. She was touched that he wanted to defend her honor, but he was putting himself through a lot of stress and heartache for no good reason. Why did he care about what these girls–

Haruka stopped short when her eyes settled on a particular tag. It was a long tag, which was what caught her eye in the first place. It read 'the ungrateful brat who doesn't deserve to live, let alone be Senri's son'. It had several entries, all of them talking about Yuki's various successes at the contests as well as his failures, making certain to emphasize the negative while downplay the positive as much as possible.

Dead silence filled the locker room. Both Zu and Phoenix turned to stare at Haruka, sensing something that was otherwise invisible to the human eyes.

After a moment, Haruka smiled and accessed the latest entry on the blog, ignoring both its content and the replies. Typing up a new reply, she posted the link to the Kanazumi Gym video feed and added three words: sponsored by Senri. Submitting the reply, Haruka leaned back and waited.

There was no immediate response, but Haruka knew better than to jump to conclusions. Chances were that no one was online to notice just yet, but they would. And when they did, Haruka knew that the reaction would be fantastic – _guaranteed_. Given how the girls had reacted before, it'd be unthinkable for them _not_ to squawk and screech about her post.

She wasn't going to wait around for the explosion, however. She had a gym battle to do and her timer was almost gone. Whether the girls saw it live or caught the replay video, it made no difference. The important part was that their beloved Senri sponsored their most hated enemy of the week, and she made certain they knew about it.

Haruka snapped her Pokédex shut as she stood up. "Okay, let's go~! Let's win our first badge~!"

Phoenix and Zu continued to stare at their trainer, bewildered by her shifting moods. When Haruka turned to smile at them, Phoenix arched an eyebrow while Zu chirped inquisitively.

"It's okay~!" Haruka said. "Let's do it!"

Phoenix frowned.

A knock at the door signaled the end to Haruka's wait. "Miss Odamaki, it's time."

"Coming~!" Haruka said. The teenage girl picked up her Pokémon and hurried over to the door, and to her first gym match.

The stadium seating had gained more occupants in the past fifteen minutes, though it definitely wasn't anywhere near full. That suited Haruka just fine, as she already guaranteed herself plenty of people to watch her every move.

She had more reason than ever not to lose.

Tsutsuji was waiting for Haruka on the stage, standing on the far opposite side. She was a mature looking girl with pink colored eyes who seemed to only be a few years older than Haruka. Her long brown hair was parted in three ways, the two strands to either side of her head pulled back behind her head to join the rest of her hair, where they were tied together with a large pink ribbon behind her head, creating twin ponytails. She wore a high collared, long sleeved lavender dress with a white collar and pink ascot. The hem of her dress cut off just past her hips, where full-length pink stockings and lavender dress shoes completed her outfit. She smiled when she saw Haruka approach and take her place on the stage. "Hello, and welcome to the Kanazumi Gym. My name is Tsutsuji and I will be your opponent."

"Hello~!" Haruka said, with a smile. "Pleased to meet you~!"

"It will be a two-on-two match," Tsutsuji said as she held up a Pokéball. "The match will continue until either combatant runs out of Pokémon in fighting condition."

"Yep, yep~!" Haruka said with a nod. "I know."

"Items are allowed, though League rules restrict them to one use per item," Tsutsuji said. She then smiled. "Let's gave a good game, okay?"

"Okay~! Good luck!" Haruka said cheerfully as she flashed the Gym Leader a thumbs up.

Phoenix tensed in Haruka's arms, eyes focused on the Gym Leader. Every fiber of her being was ready for the match. For that reason, it came to a complete shock to her when the Piplup was called instead.

"You're up, Zu!" Haruka said.

The Torchic's eyebrows shot straight up as Zu rushed forward on to the arena. Phoenix gaped openly at the other Pokémon, then looked up at Haruka in confusion.

Haruka anticipated Phoenix's reaction and smiled reassuringly at her. "Just relax, okay? Zu will take care of it, so don't worry~!"

Phoenix furrowed her eyebrows, then turned her head to glare at Zu. The Piplup shivered as he felt the Torchic's dagger-like eyes digging in to his exposed back, but did his best to keep his attention on Tsutsuji.

"Zu, use Watergun!" Haruka said.

"Gio, Defense Curl!" Tsutsuji said.

Zu took a deep breath before exhaling a blast of water, which hit the Geodude hard even as the Geodude curled up in to a tight ball, increasing his defense. The rock Pokémon rolled backwards before managing to steady himself on a nearby boulder, soaking wet. The tracker on Haruka's Pokédex signaled a large drop in Gio's health, the attack taking out roughly a fourth of Gio's vitality. It would have been more, had Gio not used the defensive move.

"Good, now use Rock Throw!" Tsutsuji said.

The Geodude grunted as he flexed, then dug his hands in to the ground. His strong fingers pierced the rock, crumbling it in to a more manageable size. Gio picked up the pieces of rock and flung them at his opponent.

"Watergun!" Haruka said. "At the rocks!"

The Piplup did as instructed, firing another blast of water. The liquid impacted solidly with the stone projectiles, diverting them so that they hit the stage instead of Zu.

"Do it again! Watergun!" Haruka coached her Pokémon, prompting Zu to fire another water attack.

"Defense Curl!" Tsutsuji called, and Gio once again curled up in to a tight, rocky ball. The water attack slammed in to the Geodude, splattering against its body. The Pokédex beeped as the Geodude's health was cut yet again, though the damage was mitigated by his defensive move – at least, as much as it _could_ defend against the super-effective type attack.

Haruka hummed. Every time Gio used the defense move, his defense became more _rock-solid_. She needed to find a way to attack him _before_ he could use it. A thought came to her quickly and she pointed at Gio. "Zu! Let's play Rocker-soccer ball~!"

Zu blinked, before his eyes narrowed. He rushed forward at the Geodude, head bowed.

"Gio, Rock Throw!" Tsutsuji said.

Gio growled as he grabbed at the ground again and hurled another cluster of rocks at Zu.

"Kick, kick, kick~!" Haruka sang out.

The Piplup kicked at the rocks, sending the smaller ones in various directions before nailing the largest rock with his flipper and sending it straight at Gio. The Geodude yelped as he was struck by his own attack and bounced backwards like a billiard ball.

"Go!" Haruka said, pumping her fists in the air. "Now~!"

Zu took a deep breath before blasting a burst of water at Gio.

"Gio! Defense Curl!" Tsutsuji called out. Despite her instructions, the Geodude was too disoriented to comply. He was hit hard by the water attack, unable to defend against it. Gio was engulfed in light as the attack knocked out the rest of his vitality. The Geodude was recalled in to his Pokéball, and Tsutsuji was left with only one Pokémon.

"Clever," Tsutsuji said. "But you won't be able to pull the same tactic twice."

"Hmhm~!" Haruka grinned. "I'll do my best~!"

"Edward, it's your turn!" Tsutsuji said as she released her next Pokéball. A dark gray Nosepass appeared, with a bright white nose. Edward raised his hands upwards and gave a small shout. It was such a comical looking Pokémon that Haruka couldn't help but giggle. "Choose your Pokémon!"

Phoenix was seething. All of her feathers were bristled and her body burned, rising in temperature. Haruka noticed the increasingly hot body in her arms and looked down at her Torchic. "Phoenix...?"

Phoenix looked up sharply at her trainer and squawked, the sound harsh.

"Ah," Haruka hesitated, then smiled soothingly. "It's okay. Next time, okay~?"

Phoenix bristled and squawked again, the sound piercing. Zu paused and turned to stare at the Torchic.

Haruka blinked. She was surprised at how upset Phoenix was – she wasn't letting the matter go. "Hey, hey. You have a type disadvantage, you know? You could get hurt."

Phoenix puffed up her feathers and shrieked, voicing her strong disagreement with the very idea. Smoke puffed out of her nose as the Torchic's temperature continued to rise.

Haruka was silent for a moment as she stared at her Pokémon. It obviously meant a lot to Phoenix. But if Haruka used the Torchic, it meant abandoning strategy and possibly abandoning her win.

However, that win meant nothing if it meant hurting Phoenix's spirit.

"...Okay, okay~!" Haruka said. "Phoenix, I choose you~!"

Zu looked shocked while pure elation came across Phoenix's face before she shot the Piplup a smug look. The water Pokémon headed out of the ring, eying the fire Pokémon as Phoenix jumped out of Haruka's arms and rushed past him on to the stage.

"I can't say I'd advise using your Torchic over your Piplup," Tsutsuji said.

"A trainer has to keep their Pokémon safe and happy," Haruka said with a smile. "Everything else, _including_ badges, is secondary."

Tsutsuji was quiet as she looked at the other girl, then smiled. "That's right."

Phoenix growled as she glared hard at Edward, the Nosepass flinching back. The Torchic's hostility unnerved the Rock-type Pokémon. The Torchic's fighting instinct was so intense that the Nosepass couldn't help but be affected by it.

"Phoenix, tackle it!" Haruka said. She'd just have to wing it and hope for the best. It was for Phoenix's sake.

Phoenix charged forward, her eyes intense. Edward flinched back again and the Torchic rammed in to him, slamming her body against him. Edward yelped as he was sent flying backwards, through the air. Without waiting for instructions, Phoenix spat out a burst of white-hot flame at the Nosepass.

"Ah, Phoenix, that won't–!" Haruka began, then went silent as her eyes widened. Edward howled in pain as the flame engulfed it. Even though it had a resistance to fire, Phoenix's attack was so hot that his rock body began to _melt_.

Instantly, the Nosepass' Pokéball activated its emergency feature, sucking Edward in and deactivating.

Haruka stared as Phoenix huffed and puffed smoke, the Torchic practically blazing. Phoenix turned to shoot Zu a smug look, basking in her triumph as everyone else was left stunned.

"...Well!" Tsutsuji said. "You've defeated me. Congratulations on earning your Stone Badge."

Haruka blinked before she smiled. "Ah, thank you~! Phoenix and Zu fought really well, didn't they~?"

Phoenix continued to smirk while Zu looked confused and a little uneasy about what he had just seen. The Piplup's discomfort only served to make the Torchic even more pleased with herself.

Tsutsuji approached Haruka and held out the Stone Badge, a little metal pin that perfectly matched the massive logo the teenage girl had seen on the building outside. Haruka accepted the badge with a smile, her Pokédex beeping to signal an update. Opening her Pokédex, Haruka saw that her profile had been updated to show her new badge.

Haruka's smile widened. "Thank you~!"

"It's well deserved," Tsutsuji said. "Good luck with your future battles."

Haruka's eyes darted to the smug Torchic and the uneasy Piplup. She moved over to pick up both of her Pokémon, holding them to her chest. "We'll do our best, right~?"

Phoenix relaxed a little in Haruka's arms, though she still looked far too pleased with herself. Zu kept his uneasy gaze on the other avian Pokémon as he leaned against Haruka's chest.

Haruka giggled as she held her Pokémon close, then turned to flash the camera a grin. She tilted her head as her smile spread from ear to ear. She was sure that Yuki had watched her, or _would_ watch her eventually. And with any luck, the Senrisational blog crew might have watched her victory as well.

No matter what, her victory was absolute.


	5. Chapter 5

As Haruka left the gym, she flipped open her Pokédex to see what had happened while she was occupied. Phoenix had finally relaxed in Haruka's arms, while Zu perched on her shoulders, flippers resting on the teenage girl's head.

Haruka wasn't sure what to expect, though she was sure she'd see _something_, even if it was simply finding out that she had been banned from the blog and her post removed.

Right away, Haruka found a notice from Senri. She certainly didn't remember sending him a link to her fight and there was no way Yuki'd ever do such a thing, but somehow the gym leader found out anyway. Perhaps he had been monitoring the gym feed all day, much to the chagrin of his assistant. Haruka also couldn't rule out the possibility that someone from the Senrisational blog linked him to it, thinking he'd verify that her claims of sponsorship were a lie. The truth could have been both, somewhere in between, or anything else. Regardless of _how_, Senri posted the link to her match on his Pokébook profile and was raving about it.

"Did you see the Torchic? Type means very little when you have a properly trained Pokémon!"

There were a few replies, though Haruka didn't care to read them. She didn't deserve their praise, as Phoenix had been EV-trained by her previous owner. The results of that training may have been Phoenix's strength, but it also added something that Haruka herself had begun to suspect – aggression. She saw it against Kimiko at Touka City, and again against Tsutsuji. The aggression was there, and Haruka could think of no better explanation.

Still, she had a problem on her hands. Haruka didn't like the aggression, but it was clear that Phoenix wanted to fight. Haruka didn't know if that was in the Torchic's best interests, or what her options were at all. She could only imagine that Phoenix would react badly if Haruka didn't use her, but using Phoenix would enable the Torchic to be overly aggressive.

What could she do?

"Whatever, whatever," Haruka said, with a sigh. She was going in circles, and it only served to give her a headache. "I'll ask Yuki." She'd check on her troll bait, then see if Yuki was online. Accessing the blog once again, Haruka accessed the first blog post once more.

The Senrisational Blog had _exploded_ during the course of Haruka's battle. For a group of people who had tried to troll _her_and spent their time spewing venom about other people, the immature teenage girls were surprisingly thin-skinned. Once again, her post had been dog-piled by the infuriated fangirls. Haruka could actually visualize the girls watching her battle and salivating with rage like rabid animals. Many posted comments insulting her performance, including her use of a Torchic - first for being stupid enough to abandon her type advantage and then for using an 'illegal' and 'hacked' Pokémon.

"Phoenix isn't a computer, she's a Pokémon," Haruka muttered. "You can't 'hack' her." Phoenix blinked at the mention of her name and lifted her head. Haruka noticed and giggled. "Nothing, nothing~! Just silly stuff~!"

Phoenix arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

Humming, Haruka checked her messenger program. Yuki hadn't replied to Haruka's message yet, so he must have been in a contest. Haruka sent Yuki another message. "Hey, hey~! I need to talk to you so contact me, okay~~?"

Whenever Yuki got back, he'd see the messages. All Haruka had to do was wait. Snapping her Pokédex shut, Haruka headed back to where she had parked her scooter. Haruka got suited up and stared the engine of her scooter before taking off down the road. With the gym badge out of the way, Haruka had no reason to hang around. There weren't any contest halls or musical theatres in Kanazumi, and she had no interest in taking a tour of the Devon Corporation building. While most tourists wanted to tour the company owned by the Champion of Hoenn, Haruka saw no point in it. CEO or Champion, Daigo was a trainer like her. It'd be the same as someone wanting to tour _her_ home. She spent enough time with Yuki to know how violating that was.

"Okay, okay~!" Haruka said. "Onward to Shidake Town!" Normally, Pokémon trainers would head to Muro Town, a small town on an island to the south of Kanazumi City. However, Muro Town didn't have a contest hall - that automatically made it a low priority. Shidake Town, on the other hand, _did_ have a contest hall. It was the only thing it had going for it, and that was still enough to make it a primary target in Haruka's journey.

As the teenage Pokémon trainer left the gym parking lot, Haruka then saw something that _did_ catch her interest - a Pokémon League building. Once she spotted the Pokémon Center, Haruka pulled over quickly in to the parking lot.

"Right, right!" Haruka said, stopping in the parking lot. "Almost forgot! Gotta check in~!" She had checked Phoenix in at Touka Town the day before, after she was finally able to get away from Senri. The whole experience reminded her of a physical exam - inconvenient but necessary. Still, it seemed odd to need it at _every_ town.

But then, Phoenix _had_ been abused. Clearly the League wanted to make certain that Haruka was doing her best to take care of the Torchic. As inconvenient as the checks were, they were for Phoenix's sake. Haruka would just have to deal with it.

"Besides," Haruka muttered. "Maybe I can ask _them_ what to do. That's what they're there for, right?" After all, if the appointments weren't to try and figure out what was best for Phoenix, then there was no point in them at all.

After finding a parking spot, Haruka headed inside the League building. It looked exactly like the other Pokémon Centers, from the facilities to even the basic structure. The teenage girl walked up to the counter, approaching a nurse with puffy pink hair and a pink nurse's outfit with a white apron.

"Hello, may I help you?" the nurse asked with a smile.

"Hi~! I'm here to check in my Phoenix~!" Haruka said, returning the smile with one of her own.

"One moment please," the nurse said as she turned to the console beside her. She typed for a moment, then glanced up. "Haruka Odamaki?"

"Yep, yep~!" Haruka said. "And Phoenix~!"

The nurse nodded, then smiled as she looked at the Torchic. Phoenix rewarded the nurse's friendliness with a harsh stare, her feathers bristled. The nurse didn't seem disturbed by the hostility, though she could have just been good at hiding it. "We'll have a doctor see you shortly. Please wait until your name is called."

Haruka didn't expect a long wait. While there were certainly a few people loitering about, the Pokémon Center wasn't very busy. There wasn't a sizable crowd, as no tournament was being held in town. It was just a regular day, and that meant a regular flow of visitation.

True to Haruka's expectations, she was only waiting for roughly ten minutes before her name was called by the nurse at the front desk. "Haruka Odamaki!"

Haruka hummed as she went to greet the nurse, who then allowed her back behind the counter. The young trainer walked in to the back room with Phoenix and Zu. The back room reminded her of a hospital, with people in scrubs and plenty of expensive equipment that she had no clue how any of it worked. It was a Pokémon hospital, for injured Pokémon. While there were a few human doctors, the majority specialized in Pokémon. The League's primary focus was tending to Pokémon, but they did keep doctors who tended to humans as well - just in case. After all, trainers were either very rich or very poor.

Haruka headed further in to the hospital area, until she came to a stop in front of a doctor with a clipboard. The doctor smiled at Haruka and ushered her inside a small room, and the teenage girl complied. It was an examination room, complete with an examination table made of metal. It gave Haruka flashbacks to her own experiences on such cold furniture, but at least Phoenix's fire would protect her from the chill.

"Hello," the doctor said. She was a woman with shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes, and she wore a white lab coat with black pants and a red blouse. "I am Dr. Miyami, I will be examining Phoenix today."

Haruka nodded and set her Torchic down on the examination table. "Yep, yep! We're here to check in!"

Phoenix glared at Dr. Miyami, her eyes narrowing. She continued to watch the doctor like a hawk as the doctor put her latex gloves on and approached the Pokémon slowly.

"So," Dr. Miyami began as she looked at the tense Torchic. "Has Phoenix shown any hostility towards you?"

"Nope, nope," Haruka said. She had been surprised when the doctor in Touka City had asked her the question. The fact that Dr. Miyami asked it again only confirmed her suspicions - the League was worried that Phoenix would hurt her. She supposed that they had reason to, what with the Torchic attempting to catch several people on fire prior to meeting Haruka. People didn't like being caught on fire, after all. "Not at all~! She's actually calmer, since she's not trying to catch _you_ on fire right now."

The doctor paused and looked down at Phoenix, who stared back at her with piercing eyes. "...I see."

"She's still kind of hostile to other Pokémon, though," Haruka said. "She _really_ wants to fight."

"That could be a reflection of her circumstances," the doctor said. "Or her personality. Perhaps both."

"No, I mean," Haruka said, her smile melting away. "She's _really_ hostile."

Dr. Miyami paused and looked up at Haruka. "Hm."

"She's really, _really_ hostile," Haruka said, her voice low. "Is it because of what happened?"

Dr. Miyami was quiet for a long moment before she crossed her arms. "Yes. From what I gather about Phoenix's particular case, she was trained using starvation tactics."

"That's what they said when I first got her," Haruka said. "What does that actually _mean_?"

"It means that she was only given food when she performed, and was denied food when she didn't," the doctor said. "The individual who owned her previously used a combination of excessive amounts of EV-training equipment and excessive training exercises in order to increase her capabilities in an unsafe manner. It put an enormous amount of stress on Phoenix, both mentally and physically. She was 'encouraged' to tolerate her circumstances by denying her food should she fail to perform. If she didn't succeed at the exercise, she didn't eat. If she didn't win a particular battle, she didn't eat."

"S-so, wait," Haruka said, slowly. "Does that mean Phoenix'd associate winning with _eating_? Did she think that if she didn't win the fights, she wouldn't be _fed_?" The idea was absolutely ridiculous. Of course she'd feed Phoenix, she'd feed the Torchic as much as she wanted!

"Yes, and it would associate its opponent as an obstacle to being fed," Dr. Miyami said. "If the other Pokémon won, that meant Phoenix was deprived food. That made what should have been a simple competition in to a matter of life or death."

Haruka's stomach clenched as she looked down at the Torchic on the examination table, who continued to glare hard at the doctor. Her eyes drifted over to Zu, who was rather obviously watching Phoenix from his position on Haruka's shoulder. "What about Zu? She seems kind of cold to _him_, too."

"They were not only competing with opposing Pokémon, but also with each other," Dr. Miyami said, her expression grim. "While they were on the same team, they were not friends. There was only so much food, and not enough to go around."

Haruka clenched her jaw. White hot anger bubbled up inside of her, as if she were a Torchic herself. "He should be in jail _forever_."

"That's something for the League to deal with," Dr. Miyami said. "You simply need to focus on Phoenix, and your own Pokémon journey."

"So what do I do?" Haruka asked, her voice quiet. "Do I let her fight, even though she's aggressive? Won't that just encourage the behavior?"

"You can only change things slowly, with baby steps," the doctor said. "If Phoenix wants to fight, you should allow it. I'd recommend against using Phoenix in fights outside of gym battles or tournaments, as trainer-to-trainer fights don't have as many precautions as official establishments. But she _should_ be allowed to work out her aggression, while you work out her conditioning and allow her to relax and realize that she will not be deprived of anything if she can't perform."

"I'll do my best," Haruka mumbled as she reached up to touch Phoenix's head. The Torchic turned to look at her and blinked. If Phoenix wanted to fight, then it was up to Haruka to do her best in helping Phoenix fight. Naturally, that meant training Phoenix. "How do you EV-train? The good way? I mean, if Phoenix wants to fight, that means I should probably train her. …EV-training isn't naturally _bad_, right?" If anyone'd know, it'd be a League doctor.

"It's essentially an intensified training program," Dr. Miyami said. "It combines exercise with special weights and braces. If done right, it gives a Pokémon an amazing boost to their abilities. If done wrong..."

"Then you're just abusing your Pokémon," Haruka said. She'd have to check out the store and see what weights and braces she could find, and if Phoenix'd even be willing to wear them. For all Haruka knew, the Torchic might be too traumatized by her old owner to wear them.

"Phoenix seems to be in good health," the doctor said as she carefully felt the Torchic's ribs, even as Phoenix remained tense. "As are you."

Haruka nodded, with a smile. She then tilted her head. "Are we good to go?"

Dr. Miyami nodded. "Yes, I'm giving you a clean bill of health."

"Yay~!" Haruka said as she pumped her fists. She turned to Phoenix, who stared up at her in confusion. "Let's go, and keep being healthy! Okay?"

Phoenix blinked. Zu, who had been watching the Torchic closely in tense silence, turned to his trainer and chirped quizzically. Haruka paused, then giggled.

"You too, Zu!" Haruka said. "Stay healthy with us!"

Zu waved a flipper as he chirped again, while Phoenix narrowed her eyes and shot the Piplup a glare.

* * *

><p>A quick stop at the Pokémart proved both helpful and frustrating. Thanks to the Devon Corporation building being located in town, the store was loaded with its products. It had so much to offer that Haruka had no idea where to begin.<p>

The selection was enormous, taking up nearly a third of the store itself with its diversity of products. There were basic braces that raised individual aspects, intermediate ones that raised one at the cost of another, and expert ones that carried an enormous amount of boosts and hindrances as well as an equally hefty price tag.

"Hummmm... what do I dooooo?" Haruka mused as she crouched in front of the basic training braces. They were all she could afford at the moment, not to mention she had no idea what she was doing. "What's best for Phoenix?"

Phoenix and Zu stood at either side of the crouching teenager and watched as she browsed the training equipment intently. After a moment of watching Haruka debate with herself, Zu glanced over at Phoenix. Unfortunately, Phoenix had chosen that moment to look at the Piplup, and the two locked eyes. Zu stared at the Torchic, who returned his attention with a narrow-eyed scowl of her own. Zu couldn't maintain the stare and looked away, fidgeting as Phoenix's eyes bore holes in the side of his head.

Haruka picked up one of the braces and looked at it, feeling the fabric with her fingers. The braces all looked simple enough, basically straps that could be attached to a Pokémon. It reminded her of weight training. However, they were made out of a special material that Haruka couldn't identify. It tingled against her fingers like static electricity, though it wasn't enough to make her jump. Haruka imagined the material was what _actually_ assisted in the EV-training, interacting with the Pokémon's body on a chemical level. She heard about humans doing something like it, with negative and positive ions or something. Well, if it worked, who was she to complain? People didn't need to understand how something worked in order for it to _work_, so there was no point in worrying.

It was just a matter of what to choose.

"Well, Fire is considered a 'special attack' based move," Haruka mumbled. "But Phoenix's evolutions are Fighting too. She'll gain Fighting moves to match, and those are 'attack' based. Should I do both? Is that too much?" The teenage girl tilted her head. "I could get both and use one on Phoenix and one on Zu, then just switch them around now and then so they _both_ get trained equally..."

"Looks like we're better off canceling our trip to Muro Town," A man behind Haruka said, talking loudly to his friend. "Team Aqua was seen in the area."

"What? Are you kidding me!_?_" The man's friend, another man with glasses, spat out a curse. "Why aren't the police doing anything about those _pirates_!_?_"

"Oh, it's the usual 'pending investigation' crap," the man said, dismissively. "Don't count on them to get _anything_ done. It's better if we just avoid the area, unless you _want_ to get robbed and held for ransom."

"If it's not Team Magma hijacking transports on the road, it's Team Aqua terrorizing people on the water!" The second man grumbled. "They're the reason our shipping costs are so damn high!"

Haruka blinked as she discreetly glanced at the two men, her expression thoughtful. She hadn't planned on going to Muro Town next anyway, even if it was generally suggested as the next gym to tackle after Kanazumi City.

Still, the conversation showed her that she made the right choice.

"What happened to all of their 'save the environment' garbage?" the second man asked, then sneered past his glasses. "Oh yes, because _nothing_ makes a person want to protect the environment like _being robbed_."

"Didn't you know?" The first man said, feigning innocence as sarcasm dripped over his every word. "It costs money to blow up factories and oil rigs. It's all for a good cause, and at least _this_ way everyone's doing their fair share in making a difference!"

Haruka hummed before she grabbed two braces - one attack and one special attack. Protecting the environment _was_ a good cause. Both Pokémon _and_ humans were hurt by pollution, after all. Still, it sounded to her like the two 'Teams' were just using it as an excuse to hurt people. That wasn't unusual at all - bad people would use whatever they could to justify their actions.

In the end, it had nothing to do with her. The police would take care of it, and in the meantime, she would avoid going off land and only take well-maintained roads.

It wasn't as if some teenager could make a difference.

* * *

><p>With her errands completed, Haruka was once again on her way towards Shidake Town. Both Zu and Phoenix were wearing their new braces, Zu wearing the one for special attack while Phoenix wore the one that would increase her attack. They really looked like halters on the Pokémon, and were easy enough to put on. They didn't seem to cause the Piplup or Torchic any discomfort, as both had seemingly forgotten about them entirely. Perhaps that was for the best, as Haruka wouldn't have pushed the matter if either had been opposed to it.<p>

There certainly had been a few detours and delays, far more than she would have liked, but she did her best to ignore it. Pokémon journeys were an adventure, and adventures were often filled with detours, delays, and other _adventure related_ things. She just needed to relax and enjoy herself. It always paid to be flexible, and she had all the time in the world.

The road to Shidake Town went through a lush forest, with greenery as far as the eye could see. Haruka knew that it eventually would take her to a dense, rocky mountain range that filled up the center of the island. Going through the tunnel that pierced the mountains would be exciting, especially by herself on a scooter. She remembered fondly how she used to hold her breath through the tunnel, to see if she could hold it until the car got all the way through. By the time she got halfway through, her lungs would ache so much that the young girl would have no choice but to gulp down air. This would be the first time Haruka would make the effort not to engage in that kind of game; it was all well and good for a passenger, but she imagined it'd be far too dangerous on a scooter.

The scooter drove along the roads easily, the fresh scent of flourishing forest wafting around Haruka. It smelled like spring, though their island location didn't actually _have_ seasons to speak of, just sun and warmth. Still, that didn't keep Haruka from enjoying herself.

A sharp twitter caught Haruka's attention. She glanced down at the Torchic in her lap, half-expecting the sound to come from her. Phoenix didn't look at Haruka, instead watching something off to the side. Even Zu was focused in the same direction, prompting Haruka to turn her head.

Flying alongside the scooter, at eye level with the teenage girl, was a Taillow. The bright blue bird with a white underside and red face mask that reached down to his throat looked right at Haruka as he flew beside her. He was so close that she could see the white star-shaped birthmark on his chest, right inside the red throat markings.

Haruka stared at the bird Pokémon, then smiled. "Hi~!"

In response, the Taillow's eyes narrowed, with a glint in his eyes. Haruka got the distinct impression that she was being challenged. The Taillow let out another sharp trill, then took off like a gunshot down the road.

Haruka blinked once, while Phoenix bristled. Zu stared after the Taillow and slowly arched an eyebrow. The teenage girl tilted her head to the side. "...Well! _He's_ certainly-"

A sharp twitter marked the Taillow's swift return. The bird Pokémon flew around Haruka's scooter in a fast circle, moving so quickly that he appeared like a blue, red, and white blur. Only the sound of his warbling identified him, which sounded as if he were laughing at the trio. Haruka stopped her scooter so that she didn't hit the playful bird, her hair whipping around her head as the Taillow generated a gust as he swooped in repeated circles around her.

Phoenix continued to bristle as Zu attempted to keep his eyes on the Taillow, making himself dizzy with the futile effort. The Torchic's body temperature increased along with her irritation, until she finally rose up and let out a furious squawk. The Tallow answered her with more warbling - it was _definitely_ laughter. Phoenix narrowed her eyes as smoke billowed out of her nose. The Taillow broke off his circle to swerve away, twittering as he glanced back at the fuming Torchic.

The warbling stopped instantly when the Taillow slammed in to a tree. The bird Pokémon failed to watch where he was going and hit the trunk of a rather large tree, hard enough to knock leaves off the branches as the impact rattled the stationary giant.

Haruka stared as the Taillow fell to the ground in a crumbled heap, no longer chirping his amusement. Phoenix and Zu both gawked, their expressions blank, as the Taillow's wing twitched once. The teenage stood still for several seconds, staring at the fallen Pokémon before she finally found her voice.

"...Ummmm."

* * *

><p>Back at the Kanazumi Pokémon Center, Haruka puffed her cheeks as the nurse looked over the Taillow. It had been incredibly easy to catch the injured bird Pokémon in a Pokéball, as it had knocked itself out. The sensors on the Pokéball at least confirmed that the Taillow was still <em>alive<em>, and the Pokéball's security measures kept the Pokémon stabilized long enough to get it _help_. With Haruka's concerns and fears alleviated, she felt that she could allow herself to feel irritated as the Taillow received care.

"It's going to recover just fine," the nurse said as she looked over the screen of the computer. "Still, I'm surprised you managed to _catch_ him."

"Hm?" Haruka perked up at that, returning her attention to the nurse. "You know him?"

"He's a known troublemaker," the nurse said, with a wry grin. "He has a habit of harassing motorists along the road. Racing cars, mocking cyclists, and otherwise just making a nuisance of himself."

Haruka furrowed her eyebrows. Given what she saw, she could believe it.

"He's usually just ignored," the nurse continued. "The League tried to catch him a couple of times, but it only resulted in several hours of chasing him about only for him to take off at the end, no worse for wear. Ultimately, the League decided to leave him alone so long as no one got hurt."

"But _he_ got hurt." Haruka said.

"Yes, he did," the nurse said. "And that's unfortunate. However, he brought his injury upon himself."

"Yeah, he did," Haruka muttered. She couldn't deny that if the Taillow hadn't been behaving like a show-off and mocking them, he wouldn't have hit the tree.

"What will you do with him?" the nurse asked.

Haruka looked up at that. "Hm?"

"Now that he's been caught, the League would prefer he _not_ be released," the nurse said. "If you don't want to keep him, we'd appreciate it if you surrendered him to the League."

"If I released him, he'd just go back to bothering people, wouldn't he?" Haruka said as she looked at the Pokéball containing the Taillow. He was lucky to have not angered anyone enough that they'd chase him down and hurt him; and if he had, he had been able to avoid the consequences. But good luck only went so far, and there was always a possibility that the next motorist would have a faster Pokémon - or a gun. He could also fly in to another tree, and there'd be no guarantee that anyone would help him like she had.

So the question became, did she want to keep him?

Haruka chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. Honestly, she hadn't been in the market for a new Pokémon just yet. She had Zu and Phoenix, and she wanted to dedicate a lot of attention to them. However, it was also true that she'd _need_ more Pokémon eventually. She didn't plan on being a bird-type trainer, but she couldn't deny that the Taillow offered her something that neither Zu nor Phoenix had - the ability to fly. Eventually, he could get strong enough to actually fly _her_ around, and take her from town to town. He also had a type advantage that neither Zu nor Phoenix had.

Besides, hadn't she already taken responsibility for him by bringing him in?

"I guess I _am_ kind of obligated now," Haruka said. "Since I brought him in."

"No, not at all," the nurse said. "You did far more than many others would have done."

"But doesn't that just mean I'm the best choice, because most people won't be patient with him?" Haruka asked.

"Perhaps, but will you resent him?" the nurse asked.

"No," Haruka said as she arched an eyebrow. "It'd be my choice, so why should I resent him?"

"It's a possibility," the nurse said.

Haruka considered that, then looked at the Pokéball. "No, I won't resent Cetan."

"Cetan?" the nurse asked.

"His name," Haruka said as she looked at the Pokéball. "I'm naming him Cetan."

The nurse smiled. "Congratulations, Cetan and Haruka."

Haruka returned the smile with one of her own. "Thank you very much~!" She turned to Phoenix and Zu. "Let's welcome Cetan, okay~?"

Zu chirped his agreement, but the Torchic simply glared at the Pokéball. She narrowed her eyes and snorted out smoke before she turned up her beak in an obvious snub. Haruka giggled. It would take time for Phoenix to warm up to Cetan, just as it was taking time for the Torchic to warm up to Zu. That was just something the teenage girl would have to deal with. But that didn't necessarily make it a bad thing. The more exposure Phoenix had to other Pokémon, the more opportunities she had to make friends.

It'd also keep things interesting, which Haruka certainly had no complaints about!

* * *

><p>Once again, Haruka was on her way to the next town over, riding her scooter along the road. Phoenix sat in her lap while Zu clung to her back and peered over her shoulder, while the newest addition to her party sat comfortably on top of Haruka's head.<p>

Cetan preened himself as he sat comfortably on Haruka's head, particularly on her bandanna. After being released from his Pokéball, Cetan showed no interest in trying to escape. Instead, he opted to roost on Haruka's head and enjoy the scenery as the group made its way to Shidake Town. Haruka was a bit relieved that the Taillow wasn't upset with his circumstances, and was quite content to be her newest Pokémon. It made things a while lot easier.

"Oh well," Haruka sighed. She had already filled half of her Pokémon slots. She hadn't planned on going so fast, but she couldn't deny that Cetan would be useful. Every trainer needed a flying type, and Cetan was certainly a good flyer.

So long as no trees were in the way.

"Yuki's probably left Shidake by now, if he was even there to begin with," the teenage girl mumbled. "Still, if I get there fast enough, with no more delays..."

"Hey, you!"

Haruka looked up ahead to see a strange man in the middle of her lane on the road. He looked to be only a few years older than her, with slick black hair and gray eyes. He wore a silver jacket with gray sleeves and a high collar, black pants, and silver sneakers with black trim. The man looked angry as he pointed at Haruka, standing in her way.

"You!" the man barked. "You're the one from the Kanazumi gym battle feed, right? The one with-"

"No, thank you~!" Haruka said as she flew right past the man, swerving around him on her scooter.

The man stopped and gawked, as he clearly hadn't expected Haruka to just go around him. By the time he recovered, the teenage girl was already a ways off. "H-hey! _Hey_! Hey, wait! Stop-!"

"I'm busy~!" Haruka called as she drove away. She noticed the man in her side mirrors going to get a bicycle from the side of the road, but she knew there was no way he'd catch up to her - motors beat legs, every time. Still, she couldn't help but think that he was such a weirdo!

It was then that Haruka noticed Phoenix's trembling. Haruka blinked and looked down at the Torchic to see her wide-eyed and shaking like a leaf. The teenage girl frowned, then leaned forward so that she could increase her presence around the Torchic as best she could while still driving the scooter. Phoenix noticed and stared up at Haruka with haunted eyes, then turned and buried her face in the girl's chest.

Haruka frowned as she returned her focus on the road. She didn't understand her Pokémon's reaction, and it bothered her. It must have had to do with the man, but what? Perhaps she should have stopped, but would that have upset Phoenix more? That thought alone kept her from stopping the scooter immediately to tend to her distressed Pokémon. She'd put distance between herself and the weirdo on the bike, and then tend to Phoenix. It was possible that distance was all the Torchic needed, so Haruka focused on just getting to Shidake Town as fast as she could. Even if he was following her, she'd get there with more than enough time to decide what to do about him should he arrive after her.

Zu looked down at the cowering Torchic, then back behind Haruka. The man was just a spot in the distance, but the Piplup still glared after him with a grim face.

Cetan was oblivious to the drama, closing his eyes as he comfortably warmed Haruka's head like a new hat.

* * *

><p>Phoenix was doing a lot better by the time Haruka had gotten through the tunnel leading to Shidake Town. Sitting in Haruka's lap, Phoenix slouched back to rest her head against her trainer as she kept her eyes closed. The man following them was so far back that Haruka couldn't even see him anymore, and it convinced her that the man's presence was the source of her Torchic's distress. She could think of several possibilities for why, and she disliked all of them.<p>

Shidake Town was quite green, filled with plant life of all kinds. Towering trees and lush flowers covered the landscape as the buildings embraced nature rather than dominated it. At the center of town was a massive decorative dome - the Shidake Contest Hall. People from around Hoenn came to participate in the contests with hopes of earning the Shidake Ribbon, a coordinator's version of a gym badge. Coordinators were people like Yuki, who opted to dress, decorate, and stylize their Pokémon rather than battle them. It took a lot of skill and fashion sense to win a ribbon, something Yuki had in abundance and _Haruka _lacked.

Still, she could fake it well enough!

"We can try the contests~!" Haruka said, and smiled as she glanced up at the roosting Cetan. "_You'd _like to put on a show, right~?"

Cetan warbled as he puffed up slightly, while Phoenix felt well enough to roll her eyes. Zu patted Haruka's shoulder as he chirped, causing the teenage girl to laugh.

"Right, right~!" Haruka said. "_Everyone_ gets a chance to look pretty~!"

Haruka drove up to the contest hall and parked before heading inside. The empty hall all but confirmed her fears while the results being streamed across the massive scoreboards overhead were the nail in the coffin. The contest was over, by several hours even. Perhaps she should have headed straight to Shidake Town, rather than challenge the gym in Kanazumi. Still, it seemed silly to double back to the city when she was already passing through. If she had kept her schedule, she would've made it in time to watch Yuki win - first place, according to the scoreboard - and then catch him on his way out. As it was, Haruka didn't doubt that the boy had already skipped town. Yuki never lingered longer than he had to, so he was most likely halfway to Kinsetsu City by now. She'd just have to catch up!

"It'd be so much easier if you were big enough to carry me, Cetan," Haruka said to the bird Pokémon on her head, while holding Phoenix as Zu rode on her shoulder. "Eventually you _will_ be, but I _hope _I'm not still chasing him by the time you evolve."

Cetan twittered as he watched the electronic scoreboards with vague interest. He wasn't being talked about, so the information was secondary at best.

Checking the calendar, Haruka saw that the next contest was in two weeks. There was _no_way she'd wait in Shidake Town for two weeks, so Haruka instead put the information in her Pokédex's calendar and proceeded back out of the contest hall. There were classes and other events going on, but she doubted any of them could teach her anything that Yuki couldn't. Besides, if she hurried, she might even catch Yuki on Route 117...

"Now I've found you, you stupid bi-"

Haruka felt someone grab her arm roughly and she heard Zu squawk in alarm and indignation. Instinctively, she whirled as she brought her fist around, clothes-lining whoever it was that had grabbed her. To her _mild _surprise, the crumbled heap on the floor was none other than the strange man who had been following her. She had certainly expected him to catch up with her eventually, but she hadn't expected him for a little while yet. He must have hitchhiked after it became obvious that he'd never catch up in a timely manner.

Haruka smiled as the man groaned and sat up, rubbing his throat. "Ooops~! Sorry~! But reaaaally~! You shouldn't grab girls so aggressively! It might give them the - wrong - idea~!"

"Y-you did that on purpose!" the man growled as he got to his feet, glaring at the teenage girl. Zu returned the glare with his own, his feathers bristling. Cetan regarded the man curiously as he tilted his head sideways as far as it could go.

Phoenix was frozen solid, her entire body tense in Haruka's arms. Haruka squeezed her Torchic slightly even as she continued to smile. "A-ny-ways~!"

"Don't give me that, you stupid-!" the man snapped as he loomed closer, his posture aggressive.

"Touch me again and I'll rip your balls off," Haruka said, her voice sharp as a knife. The man stopped short, startled at how quickly her tone changed from friendly to _unfriendly_. He paused to stare as Haruka's glaring eyes locked with his own. Haruka held his gaze for a moment before her smile returned as if the dark cloud had never been there. "Can I help you~?"

The man hesitated before he rediscovered his anger. "Yeah, you can give me back my Torchic!"

Haruka's jaw clenched, even as her smile widened. "Oh~? _Your_ Torchic? There must be some mistake~! Phoenix is _my_Torchic~! The League gave - her - to - me~!"

"Bullshit, I know her anywhere! I saw your battle!" the man protested. "The only reason you won was because of _me_! Like hell a stupid bitch could ever understand EV-training!"

Haruka was tempted to check her Pokédex and see if the man had a license. She doubted it as she couldn't imagine it _ever_ being reinstated, least of all so soon. She knew without a doubt that the man was Phoenix's own trainer, a fact confirmed by how paralyzed the Torchic felt in her arms. Phoenix's breathing was shallow and labored, as if she were close to hyperventilating. The fact that the man upset Phoenix just by being _near_ her was more than enough for Haruka to despise him. "Phoenix was _abused_by her old trainer. Are you saying you're him~?"

"I'm saying that you better give her _back_ before I get _mad_," the man said. He turned to stare at Phoenix, who flinched. "What the hell are you doing, Torchic!_?_"

"Her _name_ is _Phoenix_," Haruka said as she held Phoenix tightly, not that she expected the Torchic to bolt or comply with the man. Phoenix was trembling too much to even stand, let alone anything else. "And she's _mine_."

"Last warning, girlie. You're gonna cough her up," the man sneered as he clenched a fist in Haruka's face. "Or you're gonna cough up _blood_-"

Haruka moved fast, slamming her knee in to the man's groin. He let out a piercing shriek before he wobbled, clutching his crotch. He snarled at Haruka, tears in his eyes, just in time to see Haruka's fist right before it impacted with his face.

"_No_," Haruka said as the man fell back. "And I'm going to tell the League that you came after me. I'm willing to bet that's a violation of your bond."

Zu waved his flipper scoldingly at the man as Haruka walked past him, the Piplup chattering noisily. The special attack brace around his body glowed a soft blue, signaling that he was getting worked up enough that he was gathering energy for a water attack. Cetan had already dismissed the man entirely, doing his best impersonation of a feather hat.

"H-hey, y-you-!" the man gurgled as he struggled to get up, his nose bleeding.

"I'm sure they'll revoke your bond," Haruka said, icily. "It'd be smart of you to turn yourself in to the police before they issue a warrant. That looks good to a judge - almost as good as not doing stupid shit like this in the first place."

The man grimaced before he scowled hard at Haruka. It was obvious that he was contemplating rushing the shorter teenage girl, but Zu's puffing posture told him what'd happen if he tried. "Torchic!"

Phoenix flinched again, and Haruka tightened her grip. She didn't stop as she headed to the parking lot, back to her scooter.

"Her _name_ is _Phoenix_."


	6. Chapter 6

Haruka sighed as she undid her hair, allowing it to flow free. She hadn't meant to stay the night in Shidake Town, but after all the incidents and talking to the police, it was far too late to get anywhere. Besides, Phoenix needed the rest.

The Torchic took a lot of convincing that she was safe and wouldn't be taken away from Haruka. But after one bubble-bath and a big meal, Phoenix was once again relaxing on Haruka's pillows. Zu kept watch, sitting at the foot of the bed on his own pillow. Cetan had already fallen asleep, nestled on a pillow in the center of the bed.

Haruka sat down on the bed with a huff, being careful not to disturb any of her Pokémon. She flipped open her Pokédex to check her instant messenger program. Not seeing Yuki, Haruka then turned to Pokébook. Immediately, she saw her front page flooded with posts - some from random Senri fans posting venomously but mostly from _Senri_. He had posted links to all sorts of articles. Some were articles that mentioned her, critiquing her gym battle, but most were advice pages about EV-training and battling in general.

Haruka scanned the links, feeling conflicted. She _did_ want the information, but she certainly didn't remember asking _him _for anything. It was hard to accept gifts from that man.

"Hmph," Haruka grunted, then eyed Phoenix. She was filled with a sudden urge, one that seemed silly to her and yet still so tempting. After a few moments of deliberation, Haruka decided that there was no harm in indulging herself and made a post about the incident on her Pokébook page. After all, that was what Pokébook was _for_, right? "Filling out police reports is not fun~~ at all~~ Now I'm off-schedule, boo~~!"

It felt good to whine, especially when she knew her mother wasn't on Pokébook. Her dad would see her complaint, but he'd definitely not want to terrify her mother by relaying _this_ bit of information. Not that it was a big deal or anything, it was nothing Haruka couldn't handle. But given how anxious Kaori had been about Haruka going on her adventure at _all_, she doubted her mother would appreciate this information.

Normally, Haruka wouldn't have posted such information at all – it was a private problem. She had contacted her dad about the incident while talking to the police, and certainly he had been upset about it, but Haruka had dealt with the matter. Complaining never fixed a situation, serving only as a means to vent. Still, the delays had become enough of an issue that maybe a little venting wouldn't be a bad thing.

Admittedly, as irritating as the delays were, they were all Haruka's _choice_. She _chose _to help Cetan and to report Phoenix's old trainer. She was proud of both choices, she didn't regret them. Still, complaining felt cathartic; it made her feel better about being punished for doing the right thing. At least with it out in the open, she wouldn't stew anymore.

Haruka didn't expect the _immediate _responses, from both Mitsuko and Senri with only a second between them.

"What!?" Mitsuko typed.

"What happened!?" Senri asked.

Haruka paused, then typed. She couldn't help but suspect they were watching her Pokébook a little too closely, given their fast reactions. "Some RUDE DUDE :( tried to steal Phoenix. He threatened to beat me up, so I kicked him in the Po-ké-baaaaaalls~~~~~"

No sooner had Haruka submitted her response when she heard Yuki sign on to the chat program. It dawned on her that the teenage boy must have been watching her Pokébook page as well as she moved to contact him. He beat her to the punch, messaging her at roughly the same time as Senri as he replied to her on Pokébook.

"Are you hurt!?" Yuki asked, panic radiating from the text.

"Did he hurt you?!" Senri demanded to know.

Haruka blinked, then replied to both messages. "No, no~ I'm fiiiine~!"

Once again, both males responded similarly.

"Is he in police custody?" Yuki asked.

"Have the police arrested him yet?" Senri asked.

Haruka regarded the two messages in silence, arching an eyebrow, before she proceeded to reply to them once again with the same information. "Not yet, not yet~ He skipped town once he knew I was going to the po-lice~ Even though I waaaarned him it'd be better if he turned - himself - in~~~!"

"That bastard! He's an embarrassment to Pokémon trainers everywhere! How did he ever get his license?" Yuki was obviously sputtering about at the very idea that Haruka had been attacked.

"This is inexcusable!" Senri typed. "The police need to track the cretin down and throw him behind bars! The League must take his license and bar him from the League entirely!"

Haruka was tempted to point out that the man's license was _already_ revoked and he had been out on bond pending his abuse charges, but she then decided against it. It would be getting far too detailed in to the event, and it really wasn't all that important. Even more, it'd be like adding gas to the sudden fire she found herself dealing with. She had just wanted to vent, not cause any drama.

"Don't worry, don't worry~!" Haruka typed. "I'm sure they'll find him, they know who he is~!"

Senri responded, going on a rant about the young man he didn't know that dared attack Haruka. Mitsuko chimed in, equally upset that a man of _any_ kind would find that sort of behavior acceptable. The teenage girl made a face, a bit uneasy at how upset the two adults were. She had handled the matter already, but the two were acting like he was some boogeyman lurking in the shadows. However, she was more interested in Yuki's response, which troubled her.

A sudden request from the video chat link appeared at the corner of the screen. What surprised Haruka was that it was from Yuki. In his paranoia, he had covered up his webcam for his Pokédex out of fear that Senri could remotely activate it to find out where he was. It was a point that bothered her, as it meant that she was unable to see Yuki's face except in photos and video footage from his competitions for a long time. The text he sent quickly explained why he would break one of his more unreasonable precautions. "Do you mind if I see you? I'd really feel better if I saw you were okay with my own eyes."

Haruka frowned. Normally she wouldn't mind a video chat with Yuki, but his reasoning for it bothered her. Just the same, she'd oblige. "Okay~ Turning it on~!"

As Haruka's Pokédex connected to Yuki's, Haruka was greeted by the sight of a teenage boy with short, neatly trimmed black hair and bright crimson eyes. He wore a red long-sleeve jacket with black trim that ran along the undersides of his arms before meeting at the center and running along the front of the jacket. He wore matching black pants with red trim along the legs, and usually had red sneakers with black trim on his feet. However, the sneakers were currently neatly resting on the floor, by Yuki's stylish hat that reminded Haruka of a black headband with a white top cap, and a red Pokéball logo on the center.

Yuki looked genuinely relieved to see Haruka, sighing heavily. "You're okay..."

Haruka noticed with mild irritation that she couldn't identify Yuki's position from his surroundings. He looked as though he was inside a tent, sitting on a sleeping bag with his Grovyle Yggdrasil stretched out beside him. He was probably camping along Route 117, not that she could go find him based off of what she saw. "I told you~! I'm fine!"

"No thanks to _him_," Yuki growled. "I'll feel better once he's behind bars."

Haruka felt a little guilty. The event had obviously upset everyone else _far_ more than it did _her_. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"What-?" Yuki looked up sharply. "Yes, you _should_ have mentioned it! I don't want you keeping stuff like this from me!"

"I didn't want to scare anyone," Haruka said. "It's just some stupid guy who's upset that he got caught abusing his Pokémon and not only had them confiscated but lost his license too. Even if he _did_ steal Phoenix from me, she's registered to _me_ now. He wouldn't be able to use her in any tournaments, even if he _did_ get his license reinstated. Which'd just get voided again for Pokémon theft _anyway_."

Phoenix lazily looked up at the mention of her name, glancing at Haruka with half-lidded eyes. When it was clear that Haruka wasn't talking to her, the Torchic closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Yuki took a long look at Haruka. It was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking for sure, but she could guess that he was troubled about her. "Haruka, you don't have to act like your problems are nothing serious. Not around me." There was an odd note to his voice as he said that last part.

Haruka was taken aback by that. She hesitated, then laughed awkwardly. "C-come on, it's not like that. It's just some stupid guy trying to pick a fight~! How is it any different than all the jerks who teased me? It's just one more jerk to the pile."

"The difference is this guy ritualistically abused _Pokémon_," Yuki said slowly, each word carrying weight to it. "Phoenix could breathe fire on this guy, and he _still_ managed to hurt her. There's a very good chance that next time he finds you, he's going to be ready for you to fight back." His expression twisted with faint pain. "And he could... seriously hurt you." There was a catch to his voice that gave Haruka an unpleasant impression that he had been going to say something else, something neither of them wanted to contemplate.

Haruka was silent for a long moment. While she had considered it, she had to admit that she never took it quite that seriously. Even hearing Yuki say it, it felt too surreal to be real - that it couldn't happen to her. A part of her muttered that this was a good opportunity to get Yuki to travel with her, if he was so worried. However, she quickly squashed the thought and felt guilty even having it in the first place. She wasn't going to manipulate Yuki, under _any_ circumstances. "I'm sure the police will get him soon. I mean, they know who he is. It's not like he's some random, anonymous thug."

Yuki took a deep breath and let it out slowly before answering. "Just... promise me you'll be careful. If something happened to you, I..." His words faded in volume until he stopped altogether. The look he gave her, so urgent, so raw with emotion, reminded Haruka of why she was going through all the trouble of tracking him down. It reminded her of all those moments that nearly led to something more, but were interrupted by Senri or someone else. The way he leaned closer, the hint of an unspoken wanting hanging in the air between them left unsaid. All at once she felt grateful for the video chat that allowed her to see his expression, but at the same time it just reminded her of how there was still an invisible barrier between them - this time distance instead of some nosy person barging in.

Haruka would soon fix that.

"I'll be careful," Haruka said. "I've got Zu and Phoenix to help me, too. I'll be fine."

Yuki gave Haruka a crooked smile, but his tension had gone down only slightly. He ran his fingers back through his hair as he straightened up. "Could you send me the data about this guy?"

Haruka frowned, then nodded. "Yeah, sure. One second," She typed away at the Pokédex, transmitting the information her device had gathered on the man and sending it to Yuki's own Pokédex. "There."

Yuki glanced at the corner of his Pokédex's screen, checking to make sure he received the data, before returning his gaze to Haruka's face. "Thanks. If I spot him I'll be sure to report the police, and I'll tell everyone I know..." His expression grew distant as his voice trailed off.

Haruka went quiet as she watched Yuki, unable to tell what he was struggling with. Even more, she felt guilty ever bringing the situation to light. The teenage girl needed to move quickly and change the subject before things got any _more_ serious. "…So~!"

Yuki snapped out of his thoughts and focused on Haruka again, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. "Oh, sorry about that. I was just thinking."

"Congrats on your win~!" Haruka said, as she smiled brightly.

A faint hint of red appeared on Yuki's cheeks, much to Haruka's pleasure. "Th-thanks. I would've called you right afterward, but I spotted someone who's a friend of my dad so I had to make a quick getaway first."

Haruka giggled. "That's fine, that's fine~! You have to do what you have to do, right?"

Yuki nodded, fidgeting a bit. "It should be online by now so whenever you have time you could maybe watch it and tell me what you think?"

Haruka's smile widened. "Of course! I'll definitely watch you take first place~!"

The blush on Yuki's face deepened as his smile grew stronger. "Thanks. I watched your gym battle too. You and Phoenix were _amazing_."

Haruka's own cheeks tinted lightly as she continued to beam from ear to ear. "Zu and Phoenix tried very hard, and so did I~!"

"I knew you could do it," Yuki said, his expression gentle. "You're going to make it all the way. I'm sure of it."

"That's right~! With Zu and Phoenix to he-ack!?" Haruka yelped when suddenly Cetan plowed in to her lap between herself and the Pokédex, warbling noisily. The Taillow was puffed up, fanning his wings slightly as he got in the way. "C-Cetan?"

Yuki blinked, surprised, before he burst out laughing. "Oh, so _this_ is the new Pokémon I take it? I thought I saw you caught another one on your profile."

"Y-yes, this is Cetan," Haruka said as she struggled to hold the Pokédex and the fussy Taillow at the same time. "...What, did I leave you out? Is that it?" Cetan's scolding chatter confirmed her suspicions. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry~! Of course you'll help me too, right~?"

Cetan puffed up his chest, though he stopped fussing. He looked rather content to be recognized, at least until he was suddenly tackled from the side by Phoenix. Roused from her slumber, Phoenix pushed Cetan out of Haruka's lap before claiming it for herself as her own feathers fluffed up.

Haruka blinked as the Torchic squawked angrily at the Taillow, who twittered back before the two began fighting for her lap, attempting to shove the other one out. "...Uh."

Yuki's laughter rang out from the Pokédex. "I guess I've got competition for your attention now."

Haruka was perfectly still as the two Pokémon seemed to settle down, each one claiming a knee and glaring at the other from across her lap. She was thankful that Zu didn't feel inclined to get involved in the fight, instead watching the situation from his comfortable position on his pillow. "A-ahah~! I guess so~?"

Yuki waved to the Pokémon. "Hi, you guys! Nice to meet you, er, _see_ you."

Cetan paused before he puffed up happily, pleased at the sudden attention. On the other hand, Phoenix slowly turned her head, her eyes narrowing. She focused on Yuki with pointed accuracy, her expression like that of a predator that had spotted prey. Zu, still seated on his pillow, waved a flipper rather lazily at Yuki. With a world of distance between the young man and the Torchic, he felt no reason to be alarmed at the moment.

If Yuki noticed Phoenix's deadly gaze, he didn't show it, instead smiling brightly. "You've got wonderful Pokémon, Haruka. They all look like they're positively glowing."

Haruka blushed as she felt great pleasure at Yuki's compliments. "T-thank you~! I'm going to take very good care of them!"

Yuki chuckled softly, the sound gentle and wonderful for Haruka to hear. "I know you are."

Haruka giggled, feeling downright pleased with herself. She glanced down at Phoenix and Cetan, who continued to glower at each other over her knees, before she scooped them both up in a hug. Cetan squawked while Phoenix blinked, and both glanced up at Haruka in confusion. "We're going to have so much fun~! Right, right~?"

Zu chirped as he waved his flipper with as much enthusiasm as he could muster from his tired body. Cetan and Phoenix simultaneously blinked before they eyed each other, suspiciously.

"I think you're going to have to be careful with those two," Yuki said, his voice light, almost joking. "They look practically like squabbling siblings already."

Haruka grinned wryly. "Oh yes, oh yes. I'm going to have to watch Phoenix and Cetan _very_ carefully."

Yuki glanced off to the side before looking at Yggdrasil, who slumbered just barely within the camera's range. "I'd let you chat with mine too, but they're all exhausted from the contest and the quick escape earlier."

"Zu's pretty tired too," Haruka said. "Phoenix and Cetan _were_ asleep a minute ago, too." She paused to look down at her two Pokémon, who looked increasingly groggy with each passing second. Of course, that was no excuse to abandon hostilities, and both Bird-type Pokémon were giving the other the stink-eye, even if it was a half-lidded stink-eye.

Yuki laughed, as though he noticed the tired attempts at glaring as well. "Maybe we should keep our voices down so they can get some sleep."

Haruka moved to set down both Cetan and Phoenix back on their pillows. The two Pokémon didn't struggle as they watched their trainer get comfortable on the bed again. After they cast each other one last look, Phoenix and Cetan closed their eyes and settled down. "You must be tired too, Yuki."

Yuki shook his head. "I'm _never_ too tired to talk to you, Haruka." His smile was warm and set Haruka's heart aflutter for one brief but wonderful instant. "Do you mind if we chat a little bit longer?"

"I don't mind at all~!" Haruka said as she leaned back against the headboard. "We can talk as long as you like~!"

A little bit longer stretched on until well into the wee hours of the morning and the two teenagers had to chat while lying down. It was only when Haruka had accidentally nodded off for a minute while Yuki tiredly described one of the landmarks he had come across that they decided to call it a night. Yuki gently woke her up so that they could bid each other goodnight properly. Happy images of Yuki's smile and the sound of his voice carried Haruka sweetly into sleep after she shut off her Pokédex and settled beneath the sheets, her dreams filled with the promise of the day when she finally reunited with him.

* * *

><p>Haruka was on the road again, bright and early the next morning. While part of her hoped she might see Yuki along the road, the paranoid boy was no doubt long gone from his campsite the night before. Haruka had tried to get up early, but she imagined that Yuki must have gotten up earlier still.<p>

He was, after all, on the run from Senri.

"It's just so stupid," Haruka muttered. "It's _his _Pokémon journey, he should be allowed to do it as he likes." It was because of Senri that she had to go through so much just to find Yuki; Yuki was so paranoid that he covered his tracks as if he were a criminal on the run from the law.

And as far as Senri's fans were concerned, that was precisely what he was.

"Well, whatever," Haruka sighed. "I'll find him, and then it'll all be okay." In the meantime, she'd focus on her _own _Pokémon journey.

Kinsetsu City was the next stop, but it didn't have a contest hall. It _did_ have a gym, and she'd be passing through the town on her way to Kaina City - which _did _have a contest hall. She may as well go for her second badge while in the area, then make her way to Kaina City. With enough badges, she could qualify for a tournament and then be able to upgrade her carrying capacity. At the rate she was going, she'd need it.

"The Kinsetsu Gym is an electric-type gym," Haruka mused. "That means Zu won't be able to fight considering he's very weak to electric, and Cetan's attacks won't be very effective. I'd have to use Phoenix as my main Pokémon and hope I can take out all of his Pokémon with her alone."

Given Phoenix's performance against Tsutsuji, that didn't seem all that impossible. Still, Haruka didn't feel comfortable putting so much weight on the Torchic's shoulders. She had _enough _to deal with.

"I guess it depends on how Phoenix is feeling at the time," Haruka said as she focused on the road. She suspected that the Torchic would actually _prefer _to be the only one fighting; she also suspected that if she sent Phoenix in first, the Torchic wouldn't take kindly to being called back out. It meant that she either stuck with Phoenix the whole match or sent in either of her other Pokémon first, and then sent in Phoenix after Zu and Cetan had softened up the enemy.

Of course, that assumed that Phoenix wouldn't get upset about being sent in _second_ rather than act as the lead attacker. As Haruka thought about it, chances were that the Torchic would prefer to be the first and _only _Pokémon involved in the fight. That just seemed majorly risky, even if Phoenix had no disadvantages against Electric types. She was neither strong nor weak against them, unlike Cetan and Zu.

"I could just register Phoenix alone, and not use Zu and Cetan," Haruka mused. "Then it'd be one-on-one against the gym leader. Phoenix'd only have one opponent to worry about, rather than three. But it also means that if Phoenix loses, that's the end of it..."

While that option seemed unfair to Cetan and Zu, Haruka imagined that at least the Piplup would have no problems with the arrangement. Cetan might, but if he still got ample amount of attention, perhaps he'd let the situation slide without incident.

"Bleeeeeh," Haruka leaned back as she sighed. "Whyyyy did it have to get so complicated?"

Zu suddenly let out a startled chirp, drawing Haruka's attention back from her thoughts. Haruka blinked, then yelped when she suddenly realized that she was heading straight for a blockade of some sort. Several strange adults in black outfits with bright red jackets, complete with hoodies, lined the blockade and watched as Haruka drew closer.

Haruka squeaked as she fumbled for the breaks, though she wasn't certain that she'd stop in time. "Whoa, whoa-!"

Phoenix huffed before she leapt on to the handlebars and spewed forth a burst of intense fire at the blockade. The uniformed adults fled in a panic as flame came soaring at them, incinerating the wood and sandbags that made up the blockade. Haruka gripped the handlebars as she gawked, coasting through the opening as the surrounding obstacles smoldered, fire dancing along the blockade and igniting anything flammable.

Haruka paused, then glanced back and waved her hand at the stunned and scrambling adults. "I'm - so - sorryyyyyy!"

Only a few of the adults paid attention to Haruka, staring after her. The others rushed for water or anything they could use to control the fire, some of them even proceeded to remove their hoodies, using them to try and swat out the flames before they completely destroyed the rest of the blockade.

"Ehhhh, I don't think I should stop and apologize," Haruka thought, reluctantly. While she felt horrible about the accident, she didn't recognize the uniforms as anything that belonged to the police _or_ the League. She didn't know why they set up a blockade in the first place, but she strongly suspected that they were individuals she didn't want to be stopped by. It also suggested to her that she should contact the _actual _authorities as soon as she was far enough away to safely do so.

Haruka paused, then grinned sheepishly. "But I _should_ pay attention to the road." She was clearly thinking too much, especially when operating a vehicle. It was a sign that she should save the worry for when she arrived, and instead make sure she arrived at _all_.

Phoenix situated herself back in Haruka's lap, smoke puffing up from her nose. She looked quite pleased with herself. Zu clung tightly to Haruka, still quite pale as he was too terrified to loosen his grip just yet.

Cetan regarded the flaming blockade with a passing interest, then nestled back down on Haruka's head. It wasn't anything to get worked up about - it didn't involve him in the slightest.

Haruka continued on her trip to the next town, leaving the entire flaming incident behind her.

* * *

><p>The sun was approaching the apex of the sky when Haruka stopped to take a break and call the police about the road block. She could have called earlier, but she wanted to put a few miles between her and the people setting up the barrier. She still didn't know what had happened, but the police were happy for her report, and they'd handle the situation. That left Haruka to once again focus on her journey, as she discarded the incident as resolved.<p>

"So many things keep happening," Haruka said as she hung up her phone. "I wonder if this happens to other Pokémon trainers? If feels like I'm spending less time with Pokémon and more time with _people_."

Phoenix still looked rather pleased with herself, sitting in Haruka's lap. Zu kept glancing behind them, clinging to his trainer's back as he watched the road suspiciously. He wasn't entirely convinced the matter had been resolved. Cetan didn't care one way or another, as he began to preen himself now that the scooter had stopped moving and there was no wind to disrupt his feathers.

Haruka had been in the process of snapping the straps of her helmet back on, when a particular ringtone caught her attention. In a flash she had her Pokédex out and open to answer - she recognized the song she set as Yuki's ringtone anywhere. She had not expected him to call her again so soon and not even the threat of strange people chasing her down on the road was going to make her miss it.

The brief happiness Haruka felt at seeing Yuki's face on her Pokédex screen was short lived, as she saw how disheveled he looked. His eyes were bloodshot, the right watering as he struggled to keep it open, the left half lidded with fatigue. The white of his hat was a dirty shade of brown, his clothing tattered near the collar. Most worrying was the four thin pink lines that ran from the right side of his cheek to his neck with a lingering trace of red. "Don't go on route 117!" His voice was harsh and his breathing faintly rough as though he had been recently running.

"Yuki-!?" Haruka gripped the Pokédex tightly. "What happened? You're hurt!"

Yuki closed his mouth in the middle of what he had been about to say then muttered a curse. "Forgot to cover the camera back up," he whispered to himself. He paused for a moment to rub his watering eye with his wrist, his hand covered in more scratches than his face. "I'm fine. It's just a bit of sand in my eyes. It looks worse than it is."

Haruka frowned, as she definitely didn't like the implication at all. "Well, it looks pretty _bad_! Where are you?"

Behind Yuki was the side of a building, but with no real distinguishing marks to indicate where it was exactly, even if any sign of civilization made it seem likely that he was already in Kinsetsu City. Yggdrasil was standing at a distance away, his back to Yuki as his head slowly craned from side to side, scanning the area.

Yuki hesitated, his expression contorting in the way it usually did whenever Haruka asked where he was. "I'm safe," he finally said. "Don't worry, I'm out of the woods now, and I think I got the Poochyena and Mightyena to calm down enough not to chase us anymore."

"'Anymore'?" Haruka repeated, her eyes darting across the screen. She grew increasingly frustrated that she couldn't find any landmarks to help her.

Yuki blinked then held up his hand. "Don't worry! There's none of them nearby, and Yggdrasil is strong enough that none of them can stand a chance."

Haruka's only response was a low, extended hum as she looked over the boy before her eyes darted about again and focused on the building behind Yuki. She still couldn't tell what it was, and there were plenty of buildings along Route 117. The fact that Yuki refused to take his injuries seriously was infuriating, just as much as his refusal to admit to his location.

Abruptly the screen moved as Yuki yelped, blurring the surroundings for a moment until Haruka saw the annoyed face of a Mawile with gray and black fur instead of the typical cream and black. The Pokémon made a low growl of frustration as she shook her paw at the young man. Yuki chuckled awkwardly as he held up his hands. "And you're strong too, Hel. I haven't forgotten."

Haruka paused, then giggled in spite of herself. If seemed Yuki had a troublesome Pokémon as well. "Stiiiill... Route 117, you say~?"

Yuki managed to get back the Pokédex from Hel and rubbed his eyes before looking back at Haruka. "Yeah. Seems a Zorua somehow wound up there and I think he was playing pranks on the local Pokémon, which set off a turf war between a few packs of Poochyena and Mightyena." He sighed, shoulders slumping. "Unfortunately, the battlefield for that war was right where we were camping last night."

"A Zorua, here? That's a far ways from Unova," Haruka said, as she blinked. "It might be someone's lost Pokémon. Maybe even a runaway." That seemed the most sensible option, though there was always the possibility a wild Zorua had somehow found its way, halfway across the world. It was slim, but still a possibility. Ultimately, it didn't matter. "You should go to the nearest Pokémon Center, get yourself checked out!"

Yuki removed his hat to shake the sand off it, revealing that his hair was as rumpled as the rest of him. "Well, if he's someone's lost Pokémon, then he's been lost for over a month because, uh, I kinda had to catch him to save his life."

"So he was either one very _adventurous_ wild Zorua, or he's been long abandoned," Haruka mused as she tapped her chin. "So that makes _four_ already, huh? That fills you all the way up. Will you keep him?"

Yuki tucked his hat under his arm so he could free his hand to run it through his hair. "Not sure. It all depends on him, really. I don't want to force a Pokémon to join up if they don't want to, and there was no time to ask first like I did with Hel, Jörmungandr, and Yggdrasil. When I get to the Pokémon Center to check everyone out, I'll see what he wants to do and then we'll go from there." He paused for a moment, an almost dreamy expression appearing on his face. "Though I'd love having such a gorgeous Zorua on the team. You should've seen him _move_!"

"I can't wait to see him," Haruka said, with a smile. She still couldn't recognize the location, and she strongly suspected she couldn't convince Yuki to hang around and wait for her. "So, where was this... attack? I mean, where on Route 117?"

Yuki grimaced. "It was a little ways from the rest stop less than a mile west of the Pokémon Day Care. There's a jogging trail that goes right through the area too, but I don't think anyone else was there last night, and the Day Care's fences probably kept the packs out..."

Haruka couldn't stop herself from grinning. "Okay~!"

Yuki's expression grew troubled. "You'll make sure to steer clear of it, right?"

"Hmmmm~?" Haruka tilted her head as she continued to grin. She had no interest in the turf war or the Poochyena and Mightyena. She was far more interested in the fact that Yuki had unintentionally given her a clue to go off of, a _location_ nearby to begin her search. "Oh, sure~!"

Yuki visibly exhaled, though his nervousness didn't completely disappear. "Good. I was really worried that you might go to that rest stop or visit the Day Care and the packs decided to start up again," He rubbed his eyes again. "They were calmer when I left, but I didn't want to risk setting them off, since they were still pretty on edge. Especially the Mightyena with the scar on its face. That one jumped right over Yggdrasil and went straight for me," He smiled faintly. "Fortunately, Hel got it before it could bite me or use any of its attacks."

Hel pulled down the Pokédex to flash a smug smirk and a victory sign at Haruka as she chuckled.

"Good! I'm sure Hel gave him exactly what he deserved!" Haruka said, with a frown. The idea of such a dangerous Pokémon lurking around was unsettling. "Did you report it to the League?"

A hint of red appeared on Yuki's cheeks before he cleared his throat behind his hand. "Well, uh... I was about to. I just, well... I knew you were nearby and I was worried you were already on your way here and I had to warn you as soon as we got away."

Haruka felt a pang of guilt. Yuki was obviously still stressed out from the attack, and she was sure he was toughing it out for her sake. "Route 117's been rather unpleasant today, hasn't it? Between weird people making blockades and wild Pokémon having temper tantrums..."

Yuki's eyebrows shot up. "Blockades?"

Haruka nodded. "Yep~! I plowed right through one!"

"Are you okay?" Yuki asked, his voice laced with concern. "Did the police get upset with you?"

"Huh?" Haruka blinked. "Oh, no, they were actually very happy that I reported it~!"

Yuki stared blankly at Haruka. "Huh?" He paused for a moment. "Wait, you mean it wasn't a police blockade?"

"Nope~!" Haruka said, brightly. "I would've said 'a police blockade' if it was~!"

Yuki's mouth twisted slightly. "Strange... Was it the rangers? Maybe they heard about what happened."

"Not unless the rangers are suddenly wanted by the police," Haruka said.

Yuki's eyes widened. "Wanted?!" He jerked back. "Wait, you don't mean... Team Magma!?"

Haruka frowned as she considered that. "The police didn't say, but... maybe? They were wearing red and black uniforms, with hoodies."

Tension crept into Yuki's features. "Yeah... That's them. I've run into them before."

"Huh? Really?" Haruka blinked, then grinned sheepishly. "I just... sort of 'ran' in to them, too."

"But you weren't hurt, right?" Yuki asked, his voice tight.

"Nope, nope~!" Haruka said. "I'm just fine!"

Yuki released the tension he had been holding with a sigh. "Good."

Haruka hummed as she looked at Yuki, tilting her head. "...Yuki?"

Yuki blinked. "Yeah?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Haruka asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "You look so tired and..."

Yuki smiled, his expression gentle despite his bloodshot eyes and the scratches marring his cheek. "Don't worry, I'll be able to make it to the Pokémon Center before I crash in one of their beds. This isn't the first time I've gone a night without sleep you know."

Haruka frowned at that and made a noise of disapproval in her throat. It reminded her of all the nonsense training that Senri put Yuki through, all under the pretense of toughening his son and preparing him to be the _best Pokémon trainer ever_.

Yuki tried to laugh to dispel the tension. "Besides, it could've been worse. They could've attacked while we were still talking last night."

"I _guess_ so," Haruka said as she puffed out her cheeks in an obvious pout.

Yuki's expression softened. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll give you another call as soon as I wake up and let you know how I'm doing."

Haruka preferred to actually see Yuki for herself, but she wasn't going to voice that desire. It was pointless to ask, so she'd just have to hurry up and find him before he got to town. That meant, the sooner she got to the Day Care, the better. "Fiiiiine..."

Yuki stifled a yawn behind his hand. "I better go and call the League. I'll see you later, Haruka. Take care."

"Ooookay," Haruka said. "Take care, Yuki~!"

Yuki gave Haruka a final smile before the call was ended, the screen switching to show his Pokébook information instead.

Haruka flipped her Pokédex closed and put it in her pocket before gripping the handlebars. "Okay, okay! Route 117 Day Care, here I come~!" Noting the confused and concerned look on Zu's face, Haruka smiled. "It's okay, it's okay~! We won't stay there long, we'll just avoid the Poochyena and Mightyena! We'll only be there long enough to find out which way Yuki went, and then be on our way~!"

Without giving her Pokémon a time to retort, Haruka took off down the road once more. Yuki was close, very close. She had never been closer to the other trainer, and that knowledge filled her with excitement. If she was quick, she'd find the boy and it'd be _mission accomplished_. She wasn't about to let a bunch of rowdy Pokémon scare her and keep her from achieving her goal.

Haruka couldn't help the big grin on her face as she took off like a bullet, urging her scooter ever faster with a squeeze of the accelerator. She had the will, the knowledge, and the edge. He couldn't escape her this time.

"Here I come, ready or not~!"


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to her scooter, it didn't take long for Haruka to arrive at the Day Care on Route 117. In fact, the compound was impossible to miss, the pastel building and the surrounding white picket fence stretching on for seemingly miles. Haruka stopped her scooter in front of the building and stared, curious. It was fascinating to look at, as it reminded her strongly of a day care for children. Between the brightly colored structures, the manicured grass, and the assorted toys, one might actually mistake it for a child's day care. After all, she doubted a compound meant for toddlers would have a massive pond and waterfall within its fenced in area.

"Look at all the Pokémon! They look like they're having so much fun~!" Haruka said with a bright smile as she stopped her scooter and walked closer to the fence. She stopped when she got to the barrier, and noted that while it certainly _looked_ like a simple wooden structure, it was actually made of solid metal. Even more, the decorative 'nails' were actually small electronic devices.

Haruka couldn't feel or hear anything, but she knew the little devices were transmitters, sending out a pulse. The pulse wasn't something humans could hear, only Pokémon – more specifically, only _wild_ Pokémon. Any Pokémon that had ever been caught in a Pokéball wouldn't be able to hear the pulse; she wasn't exactly sure how or why that worked, just that something happened when a Pokémon was caught that made it so the pulse didn't work on them. It was the same thing that kept other Pokéballs from working on the caught Pokémon. Whatever the reason, the pulse had no affect on caught Pokémon, only on wild ones.

"You don't hear anything, right?" Haruka asked as she looked at Phoenix in her arms. Phoenix blinked up at Haruka and shook her head. "Right, right! That's because you're not wild~! I hear it's a very, very, _very_ unpleasant sound for wild Pokémon, so they want to keep as faaaaar away from it as possible. That's how they protect the Pokémon in the Day Care~!"

Phoenix blinked again, then frowned and looked in to the Day Care compound at the large number of Pokémon mingling together peacefully. There was an occasional trained nursery attendant among the Pokémon, supervising them to make certain nothing happened. Zu chirped as he glanced around, then waved at a Marill that noticed the group as it walked by and then stopped to stare. Cetan glanced about lazily, then yawned and nestled his face in his wing.

Haruka hummed as she watched the other Pokémon. Pokémon Day Cares were absolutely vital to Pokémon Trainers, as not everyone was as fortunate as Haruka to be related to a professor. All new trainers could only carry four Pokémon at once, but that number increased as the trainer increased their rank. However, no matter what rank they were, only a maximum of six Pokémon could ever be used in battles – that number never changed. But when trainers increased their rank, they were allowed to have more than six Pokémon. Trainers could customize their teams, and even have many different_ kinds_ of teams for different situations, such as battle teams or contest teams. With more Pokémon, that meant trainers needed somewhere to _keep_ those Pokémon when they weren't using them.

"If I ever get more Pokémon, I can leave them with my dad," Haruka said, then frowned. "But I don't see that happening at all. I can't imagine leaving anyone behind, for any reason," At that moment, Haruka caught sight of a Pokémon assistant walking past her. Haruka raised her arm and waved it vigorously. "Excuse me, ex-cuse me~!"

The day care assistant noticed Haruka. She stopped and turned to approach the teenage girl, carrying a Mudkip in her arms while an Aipom dangled off her shoulder. "May I help you?"

"Have you seen a boy my age?" Haruka asked. "Black hair, white hat that _looks_ like hair, red and black outfit? Has a Grovyle, a Mawile, and a Feebas?"

The assistant frowned as she thought about the description before her eyebrows shot up. "Ah! Yes, actually! I think he was the one that was running away from the Poochyena earlier! He ducked in to the Day Care and waited a while, until it was safe to leave again."

"Did you see which way?" Haruka asked excitedly as she leaned forward. "Is he still close by?"

"I don't know if he's still around, but I saw him run _that_ way," the assistant said, gesturing down the road. She used the Mudkip, which she held with both hands, and the Pokémon let out a croak as it moved about. "_Away_ from the turf war."

Haruka hummed as she craned her neck to look. The assistant pointed in the direction of Kinsetsu City. The road went the same direction, though she strongly suspected that Yuki would avoid the road if given the chance. Still, she could take her scooter closer before trying to search the woods on foot. "Okay, okay, thank you~!"

The assistant was clearly startled to see Haruka taking off in the direction she had pointed. She nearly dropped the Mudkip, but managed to catch the tiny amphibian and held it close to her chest. "Oh, wait! The area is still pretty dangerous. The rangers haven't given an all-clear-"

"It's fine, it's fine~!" Haruka said as she waved her hand dismissively, sitting back down on her scooter. "I'll be in and out, in and out~! They won't even notice me~!"

"T-that's-!" the assistant wasn't able to get another word in before Haruka took off in her scooter, heading down the road with her Pokémon in tow. The assistant frowned as she watched the teenage girl take off. "...Dangerous."

* * *

><p>Haruka followed the road further along Route 117, moving slowly as she glanced at the woods about her for any sign of life. After a few minutes, she pulled over to the side of the road and frowned. "I can't see anything like this... if I have any hope of finding Yuki, I'll have to leave my scooter and walk in to the woods."<p>

Glancing about quickly, Haruka pushed her scooter further off the road and in to the woods. She didn't feel comfortable leaving it out in the open, as anyone could just drive by and see it. She hid her vehicle behind a bush before finally getting off and checking her handiwork from the road.

"Good, good," Haruka said with a nod. "No one can see it from here."

Phoenix stared at the bush and frowned, then glanced up at the teenage girl. Zu waddled over to the scooter and looked at it before turning to Haruka and chirping curiously.

"It's fine, it's fine, we'll come back," Haruka said. "We're just going to take a look around for Yuki~!"

Phoenix arched an eyebrow while Zu looked a little concerned, turning to stare further in to the woods. Even Cetan seemed to be paying a bit more attention than usual, craning his neck to listen.

"I have an idea~!" Haruka said. "I know I don't have anything with Yuki's scent, but... you're trained for search and rescue, right? Zu, do you think you could try and track _any_ human smell in this area? Chances are, it'd be Yuki~!"

Phoenix immediately shot Zu a poisonous look, which the Piplup did his best to ignore. He ventured further in to the lush forest along Route 117 and sniffed tentatively at the air. After a moment, Zu turned about and raised both flippers in the air with a chirp.

"Yay~!" Haruka jumped excitedly, causing Cetan to squawk and flutter his wings in order to stay on her head, and then rushed towards her Piplup. "Lead the way, Zu~!"

The teenage girl and her trio of Pokémon journeyed deep in to the thick woods, Zu leading the way. Phoenix sulked in Haruka's arms, her eyes boring hatefully in to the back of the Piplup's dead, while Cetan ducked his head and pressed close to Haruka in order to avoid the low branches.

The tree canopy was lush, the sun barely able to trickle through the verdant leaves that blocked out the sky. Songbirds twittered in the overhead branches, a melodic reminder that Pokémon weren't the only things lurking in the wild. It was easy to forget sometimes that in a world filled with Pokémon, they were just one of the many species that inhabited the planet. Indeed, many people focused exclusively on Pokémon and paid very little attention to the non-Pokémon species that shared the same ecosystem - birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and mammals that couldn't breathe fire or shoot laser beams from out of their eye sockets. But Haruka imagined that just as there were Pokémon trainers who focused just on Pokémon, there had to be people that cared about the rest. After all, they were just as important.

Haruka sometimes wondered how such weaker creatures could ever survive when competing with Pokémon, who had an obvious advantage. It just seemed that when up against such powerful predators, other species would go extinct. However, her father said it was a bit more complicated than that. By and large, Pokémon preyed on _other_ Pokémon and left the other species alone.

_"But why?" Haruka asked, wide-eyed as she stared at her father as he worked away at his computer. She was barely ten years old, watching him toil away in his laboratory as she looked over the vast amounts of data he had on the very subject - Pokémon habitat. "Wouldn't it be easier to eat a regular bird or something?"_

_"Easier, perhaps," Dr. Odamaki said. "But not worth the effort."_

_"Not worth the effort?" Haruka repeated slowly._

_"Regular birds, while easier to catch, barely offer a mouthful for a predator Pokémon," Dr. Odamaki said as he turned his chair about so that he looked directly at Haruka. "They're so much smaller, and that means little meat. It's all well and good for a juvenile Pokémon, but an adult requires far more than what non-Pokémon species can provide - especially when the predator is at least several times larger than their prey. It's all about spending as little energy as possible for the most reward. Why spend energy catching twenty or even thirty songbirds when you can catch just one Taillow? And that's not even addressing the possibility of vaporizing your prey accidentally, meaning the Pokémon expended a lot of energy and got absolutely no payoff for it."_

"I guess that's why they don't mind singing with us around," Haruka mused as she looked up at Cetan. "They know you're a _much_ tastier target than they are."

Cetan blinked and looked at Haruka, then puffed up with pride.

Zu went deeper and deeper in to the woods, following the scent of a trainer that Haruka hoped was Yuki. She was a little disappointed when Zu came to a stop in a clearing, with no Yuki in sight. Haruka frowned as she glanced about, noticing the trampled grass and splintered branches.

"Someone was definitely here," Haruka said as she slowly walked about a square indentation on the ground, where the grass had been bent due to a heavy weight. "This could've been a tent, but it's not near any of the designated trainer campsites..." It had to be Yuki, as it only made sense he'd avoid using the campsites. Even though they were cheap and provided water, electricity, and bathrooms, they were also locations that Senri or his 'friends' would _check_. Even if it meant roughing it in the dark woods, Yuki would do everything in his power to avoid his father.

A sharp chirp from Zu got Haruka's attention, and she hurried over to the Piplup. Zu pointed at the ground and Haruka blanched. There was dried blood on the ground, mixing with the dirt. She was only able to tell that it _was_ blood due to the tiny spots of crimson on the mangled grass nearby.

"Yuki..." Haruka muttered. She thought back to his scratched face and tried to remind herself that cuts on the face often bled heavily, regardless of the wound's _actual_ severity. He was fine, he would be _fine_.

But she'd feel a whole lot better once she found him.

"Let's go," Haruka said. "We can catch-"

Phoenix let out a low growl, cutting the teenage girl off. Haruka paused and became aware that the growl came from all around her, not just from the Torchic in her arms. The teenage girl tensed and slowly glanced about, as she felt Phoenix's temperature rise in her tiny body.

Forming a perimeter around the Pokémon trainer and her Pokémon were a large number of Poochyena, with a couple Mightyena mingled in for good measure. The wolf-like Pokémon bared their teeth at Haruka as they glared at her intently, growling deep within their throats.

"Oh," Haruka muttered. "_Crap_."

Phoenix squirmed out of Haruka's arms and crouched in front of her, smoke billowing out of her nostrils. Zu maneuvered around Haruka to guard her back, raising both flippers protectively. Cetan merely tilted his head from side to side, blinking.

"Ummmm," Haruka glanced about at the Pokémon surrounding her before she raised her hands. "Hi~!"

Some of the Poochyena snapped their jaws as they snarled, others lowering their heads in an aggressive crouch. None seemed particularly friendly at all, nor interested in hearing what Haruka had to say. She was beginning to deeply regret ignoring Yuki and venturing to track him down in the wilderness of Route 117.

"We're just _leaving_, so-" Haruka began, then yelped when one of the Mightyena snapped at her.

Phoenix instantly retaliated, blasting the Mightyena in the face with a burst of fire. The Mightyena yelped as it jerked back, the fur on its face smoldering as the skin looked charred. Zu followed up with a quick shot of water, which knocked the beast back while simultaneously extinguishing the voracious flame on its face.

The attacks sent the pack in to a frenzy. Several of the Poochyena lunged at the Torchic, who whipped her head about as she spat fire at them, hitting all of her attackers with her blaze. The other Poochyena in front of Haruka backed away from the flickering fire, barking furiously at the Torchic. Behind Haruka, Zu spat bursts of water at the canine Pokémon, hard enough to send them backwards without causing serious harm.

Haruka stood helplessly, her arms tucked against her body as she was afraid to move. The snarling, furious Pokémon were all about her with only a quick burst of fire or water keeping them at bay.

"This was a bad idea," Haruka said, as she looked about wildly. "This was a _really_ bad idea!"

A Mightyena attempted to dive past the fire and water Pokémon, lunging for the teenager. Haruka barely had time to let out a squeak before Cetan brought his wing down in a chop, smacking the large canine Pokémon directly between the eyes. The Mightyena saw stars as its jaw snapped down, biting its own tongue, though thankfully not enough to sever it. Still, blood splattered from the Mightyena's mouth as it jerked back with a shriek.

Haruka stared at the Mightyena as Cetan stood up just enough to wave his wing scoldingly. She was quiet for a moment before she blinked slowly. "A-are they... actually winning-?"

At that moment, a low howl came from deeper within the forest. The Mightyena and Poochyena darted back away from Haruka and her Pokémon, regrouping away from the teenager. Haruka hesitated and debated making a run for it when the howl repeated, chilling the Pokémon trainer. When she caught sight of the eerie sound's source, Haruka froze.

A massive Mightyena approached the scene of the conflict, its fur a deep shade of black. The uniform, all encompassing ebony covered the normal Mightyena coat pattern, as if all color was being absorbed by the abyssal hue. The only colors that could escape were the bright gold of the Mightyena's eyes and a large white scar running from its left brow to its right cheek, barely missing the eyes.

Haruka gaped at the large Mightyena as her mind called back to her conversation with Yuki. "The one with the scar..."

The other wild Pokémon crowded around the black Mightyena. The scarred pack leader flashed his pearl-white fangs before brushing past the lesser members of his pack, eyes focused on Haruka. As the imposing Pokémon drew near, Phoenix puffed up and glared hard at the Mightyena. Both Pokémon locked eyes, Phoenix scowling while the Mightyena looked unimpressed.

Phoenix continued to stare down the scarred Pokémon, despite her opponent's obvious size difference. Instead, she pointed a wing at the Mightyena, then brought the same wing up to her throat and did a sharp slicing gesture across it.

The black Mightyena blinked, taken aback by both the gesture and the Torchic's ugly expression. He slowly raised an eyebrow at the much smaller creature's bravado.

Phoenix didn't seem too perturbed that her threat wasn't being taken seriously. She merely kept her eyes focused on the Mightyena, then spat on the ground in front of him. The ground sizzled as the tiny flicker of flame charred a small patch of ash on the ground.

The scarred pack leader sniffed slightly before his lips curled up in a sneer. The Mightyena opened his mouth wide in a mighty roar, the sound echoing through the forest like thunder. Phoenix responded by immediately spitting a burst of flame in to the Mightyena's gaping maw. The canine Pokémon's eyes snapped open wide as the fire assaulted the soft, tender flesh inside its mouth. The Mightyena jerked back, shrieking and coughing violently as smoke billowed out of its mouth.

The other members of the pack gawked openly as their leader coughed and choked on Phoenix's attack. Even Haruka stared, until common sense demanded she stop wasting a rather obvious opportunity to escape. The teenage girl scooped up Phoenix and Zu before she rushed away from the scene, back towards her scooter.

One of the Poochyena noticed and lunged to intercept Haruka, only to be rewarded with a swift kick to the face from the teenager, followed by a burst of fire from the Torchic in Haruka's arms.

Haruka didn't wait to see the reaction to her attack, instead focused on the path in front of her. She knew she couldn't outrun the Pokémon, so her only hope was to get back to her scooter. She heard the rumbling and growling behind her, as well as a choked, gargled roar that she suspected belonged to the wounded pack leader. She didn't have much time, if any, to get back to her vehicle.

Phoenix chattered angrily as she climbed up on to Haruka's right shoulder, Zu scrambling up on to the opposite shoulder as his eyes darted from one predator to another. Cetan remained roosted on Haruka's bandanna, though he tilted his head about so he could watch what was going on behind him with mild interest.

The pack of canine Pokémon were unwilling to allow their target to escape unharmed. Snarling and snapping at her heels with their salivating jaws, the Poochyena and Mightyena gave chase. Their leader was nowhere in sight, but he was definitely still on their trail. The occasional gurgled howl confirmed that.

Phoenix focused on the immediate attackers, spitting flame at any that got too close to Haruka. Zu followed up with a blast of water, knocking the Pokémon away while extinguishing the fire before it could spread. The Torchic noticed and gave the Piplup a withering look, but Zu kept his attention on their pursuers.

It took much less time to run back to the road than it did to walk away from it. Between the wild Pokémon hot on her heels and the two bird Pokémon on her shoulders making certain the predators kept their distance, somehow Haruka found the ability to get back to the road. Relief flooded the teenager at the sight of her white scooter waiting for her, right in the bushes where she had left it.

Haruka scrambled to get on the scooter, not even bothering to push the vehicle to the road. She turned on the motorized bike and revved the engine, her heart racing like an engine itself. The scooter shot forward, plowing through the bush and kicking up dirt as it veered towards the road. Dirt and rocks scattered about and the bike jerked when it hit the roadside, then slipped back on to the paved surface.

The teenager didn't look back as she twisted the gas throttle as far as it could go. The scooter jerked again before it peeled out, tires screeching as the gas forced the vehicle to tear off at high speeds.

Phoenix smirked as the Poochyena stood staring after the fleeing scooter, only the Mightyena even bothering to _attempt_ their pursuit before giving up when the distance between them and their prey continued to increase despite their best efforts. The Torchic's smirk grew as the black, scarred Mightyena appeared out of the woods and stood in the road, glaring after Haruka with murder in his golden eyes. Phoenix's smugness couldn't be contained and she crowed loudly, flapping her wings. Zu stared after the increasingly distant foes before he sighed and slumped against Haruka. Cetan returned his attention to the front, preening himself.

Haruka didn't dare stop her scooter until they were many miles down the road. Even though she had put a lot of distance between her and her attackers, her adrenaline was still pumping. She wouldn't have even been stopping if she didn't need to make a very important call.

"Yuki, I've got to call Yuki," Haruka muttered as she flipped open her Pokédex and accessed his contact information. "If he's still in the area, they'll kill him!"

Haruka's heart continued to thunder in her chest as she stared hard at the screen of her Pokédex, the little Pokéball on the screen spinning to a cheerful tune as the device attempted to connect to Yuki's device. The teenage girl felt as though her heart was about to burst as the device continued to dial with seemingly no answer.

Haruka nearly cried with relief when Yuki finally answered the device, his smiling face appearing on the screen. "Yuki!"

Yuki flashed an impossibly large smile at Haruka as he nodded vigorously. Haruka's smile faltered as she stared at Yuki. She was silent for only a moment before she furrowed her eyebrows.

"...You're not Yuki." Haruka said.

Yuki's smile immediately evaporated to a look of pure shock and confusion, his eyes widening as he gawked at Haruka. Suddenly, a startled yelp escaped Yuki seconds before reality itself seemed to ripple like water and Haruka found herself staring at a little Zorua, dangling upside down by his tail.

Yuki's Grovyle was holding the Zorua by the tail, his expression _disapproving_. A furious chattering soon followed, as Yuki's Mawile appeared in to view, glaring up at the Zorua. Hel shook her finger scoldingly at the Zorua, who proceeded to sulk as he dangled helplessly in the air. Yggdrasil lifted a finger to his mouth in a shushing motion. Hel paused and stopped her loud scolding, but didn't stop shaking her finger at the trickster.

Haruka blinked, then giggled. "Hello, hello~! I'm just calling to see if Yuki's okay?"

Yggdrasil looked at Haruka before he leaned over to pick up the Pokédex up, giving Haruka a good look of their surroundings of rustic wood furniture and wood panel walls as the image was jostled about before finally settling down on what appeared to be a bed. Haruka was relieved to see Yuki fast asleep on the bed, which told her that Yuki was no longer on Route 117. Given the look of the room and the furniture, he was in a motel of some kind. She doubted it was an expensive motel, just a small one that he could slip in and out of easily. It had a bed, and that was good enough for the exhausted boy.

Haruka's heart clenched at how tired Yuki looked. He hadn't bothered to get undressed or even get under the covers, just passing out on the brown and maroon colored patchwork quilt on top of the bed. His face had been bandaged with gauze and medical tape, but that was the extent that Yuki was willing to go before getting some much needed sleep.

"Good, good, he's safe," Haruka said with a sigh, then smiled. "Okay, okay~! Thank you~! I'll just let him sleep and call back later~!"

Yggdrasil turned the Pokédex back to him and nodded. He still held the naughty Zorua by the tail, hoisting him in the air. The Zorua yipped as he swatted at Hel, the Mawile tugging on the corners of his mouth with her hands as she bared her teeth at the fox Pokémon.

"Goodbye~!" Haruka giggled before she ended the call, closing her Pokédex with a snap and putting it away. Yuki was safe. The fact that she had missed her chance to find him wasn't important in light of that fact. She could leave Route 117 and the awful experience behind her without any regret.

And she fully intended to do that.

Haruka made a noise in the back of her throat, as she started up her scooter again. "I am _not_ telling Yuki about this. Or _anyone_." If the silly incident with Phoenix's old trainer had caused such concern, she didn't even want to think what _this_ incident would cause.

Admittedly, she felt a little guilty about the injuries her Pokémon had caused. Even with a Pokémon's natural resilience and healing ability, fire was still _fire_. However, that guilt was short lived as she remembered the same pack had attacked Yuki, with the same intent to _harm_ if not _kill_. Yuki's scratched face was a vivid reminder in Haruka's mind.

"...Got what they deserved." Haruka grumbled.

Still, she was going to leave the incident _and_ the wild Pokémon far behind her. She wasn't going to worry, she wasn't going to make anyone _else_ worry. Yuki was gone, and now so was she. The Pokémon weren't chasing her, and even if they were, they wouldn't be able to catch her before she made it in to town. She'd head straight to Kinsetsu City and leave the whole thing behind her.

As far as she was concerned, it was over and done with. And she was perfectly happy to believe that.


	8. Chapter 8

After an eventful trip, Haruka finally arrived in Kinsetsu City. For someone with a scooter, she was making pretty terrible time. However, Haruka preferred to think instead of how behind she'd be if she _didn't_ have her scooter. With that in mind, she was actually making very good time! It always paid to think positively, after all.

"I guess I shouldn't be so focused on finding Yuki and worrying about missing him, and just enjoy myself more," Haruka mumbled as she made her way in to the hotel after parking her scooter in the parking lot. Given the new restrictions on her, Haruka would have to abandon her plan of just driving through each town as quickly as she could. She had promised her mother that she wouldn't drive at night, but now even Senri and Mitsuko were in on it and demanding she be more cautious and avoid dusk as well. Senri could sit on a stick and spin for all Haruka cared, but she owed her mother and Mitsuko the courtesy to comply with their wishes and avoid any more risks. She already had more than her fill of risks.

And considering how situations kept happening to disrupt her plan _anyway_, it only meant less stress for Haruka in the long run. She certainly wasn't keeping the schedule, so there was no point on worrying about it anymore.

"I'll catch up to Yuki eventually," Haruka said, more for herself than anyone, as she checked in to her room and set her bags on the floor. "I _will_. I mean, it's a small island. We'll cross paths _eventually_, right?"

Phoenix and Zu followed Haruka closely, one walking on either side of the trainer. Cetan was still quite comfortable on Haruka's head, his eyes closed as he enjoyed being chauffeured about. Phoenix scowled at Zu before she shot a glare at Cetan, then grabbed Haruka's leg and chirped.

Haruka blinked, then reached down to ruffle the feathers on top of Phoenix's head. "We're going to take our time today~! We'll get lunch and see the sights before we even _think_ of going to the gym. Okay~?"

Phoenix blinked as Zu nodded, then waved his flippers about in the air. The Torchic eyed the Piplup, then furrowed her eyebrows as she returned her attention back to Haruka.

Kinsetsu City was a tourist location, and it was readily apparent to anyone as they traveled about. Theaters, gaming parlors, and other attractions lined the streets, competing with each other along with malls and themed restaurants in order to attract attention. It was possible that Kinsetsu, which was practically a stone-throw away from Kaina City, was angling for any spill-off from the monstrous port city as well as any travelers that came from inland – after all, Kinsetsu was at the intersection for all trails and roads on Hoenn. A trainer would have to make an active effort _not_ to visit the city at some point in their travels, and the odds of anyone putting that much time and effort in to it were slim. Considering Kinsetsu City was home to the Kinsetsu Gym, odds were good that it was on _everyone_'s checklist – both tourist and trainer alike.

Haruka hummed as she walked through one of the numerous malls, glancing to either side at the various stores vying for her attention. Bright colors and flashing lights competed with each other, trying to outdo the competition and draw customers inside. And there were certainly enough customers to grow around, the crowds thick as a perpetual humming of chatter hovered over the air like a fog.

Phoenix and Zu walked alongside Haruka as Cetan sat on his perch atop the trainer's head. Haruka opted not to carry them, as she was certain they'd need to stretch their legs after the trip on the scooter. Still, Phoenix had insisted on sticking close to her trainer, so Haruka had to walk carefully lest she step on little Pokémon toes.

"Where do you want to go to eat?" Haruka asked. "There's a pirate buffet, a samurai hibachi grill, a cowboy bakery…" Some of the themes were kind of stretching the connection, but she was a bit forgiving. After all, they had to stay unique, and there were only so many synonyms for 'restaurant'.

Phoenix glanced around at the various eateries before her eyes settled on a confectionery cafe – the massive cupcake on the sign caught her eye. Even though most Pokémon couldn't read, a cupcake with multicolored sprinkles and a cherry on top was still a universal sign. The Torchic chirped and tugged on Haruka's pants, pointing a wing at the sign.

Haruka stopped and turned to look at the restaurant. "Huuuhh… a sweets shop! I wonder what _their_ theme is?" The teenage girl's eyes settled on the windows, through which she saw the waitresses. Their short, black frilly dresses with white aprons and white undershirts immediately answered her question. "Eee~! It's a maid cafe, a maid cafe~!"

Zu blinked and watched as Haruka hurried over to the cafe, with Phoenix hot on her heels. The Piplup then followed, waving his flippers about as he waddled his tiny body after the two girls.

"The outfits are so _cute_~! I want one, I want one~!" Haruka said as stared through the windows. She loved to dress up, which was something she had to thank Yuki for. With all the costumes and outfits he made just for her, even now when he was busy with his contests, it was hard not to get excited about it. And considering she had her _own_ brand of fashion sense, which was to say none at all, she had no qualms with wearing whatever she felt like without any shame. So long as she was having fun, that was all that mattered.

The fact that it made _Yuki_ happy when she wore his creations only cemented her enjoyment of it.

"I should ask Yuki if he'd make _me_ a maid outfit," Haruka said as she reached for the door. "I bet it'd be so cute-cute-_cute_-!" The trainer stopped dead as her eyes settled on a little sign on the door. It was white and had big, black letters across it reading 'Pokémon Trainer Part-Time Positions Available – Inquire Within'. The teenage girl's eyes widened as she stared at the sign, realization dawning in her head and lighting up her eyes. "_Eeeeee_~!"

Pokémon Trainers _could_ make a living entirely off of prize money, if they were lucky and skilled enough to win in their field. However, not everyone was fortunate enough to succeed at everything they tried – just as there were winners, there were losers. In the past, it meant that Pokémon Trainers took great risk in entering the field; if they didn't succeed, and succeed _well_, they'd be forced to abandon their dreams all together or _starve_. It was very unforgiving, and gave little leeway for mistakes.

The Pokémon League changed all that. Just as it began to regulate and brought order to the chaos that was Pokémon Training, it sought to help individuals, especially the ones just starting off, who would need a way to provide for themselves and their Pokémon and not depend heavily on their winnings. Naturally, there were those individuals that complained at the League's intervention, and how it was preventing the weeding out of those unworthy of pursuing their dreams and cheapening the entire experience.

But those same people complained about the League requiring _all_ new Pokéballs have an automatic release that activated when a Pokéball was unused for an extended period of time, preventing Pokémon from spending _an eternity or more_ in stasis should a trainer accidentally lose their Pokéball. So, Haruka gave those people very little mind. After all, everyone had the right to pursue their dreams, even if they sucked at what they were doing! The grand majority of people welcomed the changes and regulations, and Haruka was certainly one of them.

If not for the League, Phoenix's old trainer would still have her, doing goodness knows what to her.

Haruka shook her head to dispel the bad thought, and instead focused on the sign. The Pokémon League worked with various local businesses to create what was called a Pokémon Trainer Part-Time Position. It allowed Pokémon Trainers to work temporarily for a business for extra cash, with no strings or hassles attached. The League, using the trainer's Pokémon License, provided insurance and guarantees for the trainer so that the business held no liability for what amounted to hiring a stranger for a couple of hours. The end result was that businesses benefited from a cheap and temporary labor source and trainers would be able to pay for meals or a hotel room.

Haruka wasn't exactly hurting for cash, as she had made certain to save her allowance well in advance before starting her journey. And even more, she _was_ able to get some winnings. However, Haruka didn't care about that. What she _did_ care about was the opportunity before her to wear a cute little maid outfit and get _paid_ to do it. Not only that, but it would allow her to get her own revenue and pay for the hotel _without_ using Senri's funds – perhaps even allowing her to _return_ them to the gym leader, unused.

How could she _possibly_ let this opportunity go?

"Excuse me~!" Haruka said as she entered the cafe, Pokémon in tow She approached the counter, where a young lady about her age was waiting at the register. "Do you have a Pokémon Trainer Part-Time Position open~?"

The girl, a brunette with brown eyes, smiled at Haruka. She was in full uniform, wearing the frilly black dress with a white apron and undershirt as well as black ribbons tying her hair in to a ponytail. "One moment please, I'll get my manager."

"Okay, okay~!" Haruka said, returning the smile with a bright one of her own. Phoenix and Zu stared up at the counter, though they were too short to be able to see the waitress on the other end. Cetan had a much better view, and while he was certainly looking around, he was more interested in the cupcakes and cookies than anything that was happening.

The manager came out rather quickly, a middle-aged man with short black hair that was neatly trimmed and slicked back. Naturally, he didn't wear the maid uniform, but at least wore a similarly fancy outfit. He looked like a butler, with a fancy high-collar white shirt and black pants, as well as a black jacket. The manager took one look at Haruka and smiled at her, grinning from ear to ear. "Hello, and welcome! I hear you're interested in our part-time position for Pokémon trainers?"

"That's right, that's right~!" Haruka said. "Is it available?"

"Yes, it is!" the manager said, then gestured behind the counter. "Why don't we get your Pokémon comfortable while you try on our uniform?"

"Okay~!" Haruka said, beaming.

It didn't take long for Haruka to get situated in the back. Phoenix, Zu, and Cetan were given a table near the counter, with Cetan sitting on the table itself while the other two sat in chairs. Each were given a large cupcake to occupy them, a vanilla cupcake with white butter cream frosting and covered in rainbow sprinkles. Zu nibbled away at the monstrous cupcake, attempting to be neat about it by using a fork to avoid getting frosting on his face. Cetan didn't care either way, frosting smeared across his face and beak as he dug down at the sugary treat with great enthusiasm. Phoenix hadn't touched hers at all, waiting anxiously for any sight of Haruka.

"How do I look~?" Haruka asked as she came out, wearing the maid uniform. Much like the other outfits, it was a short and frilly black dress that cut off above her knees, with a white frilly apron and white undershirt with puffy sleeves. White knee-high socks covered her feet, with little black ribbons on the outer side of the trim, and shiny black shoes completed the ensemble. Two black ribbons were tied to her bangs, their long black tails dangling down.

Phoenix was visibly relieved at the sight of Haruka, though she arched an eyebrow at the outfit. Zu clapped his flippers politely, while Cetan looked up with his face covered in frosting and let out a twitter.

"Let's see," the manager said as he looked over Haruka. Haruka giggled and twirled around slowly, to give him a better look. The middle-aged man had a stupid grin on his face. "…You look _great_!"

"It was a _liiiittle_ tight around my chest," Haruka said, as she thrust her fists skywards. "But going up a size bigger would've made everything _else_ too big, so I made it fit~!"

The man stared at Haruka for a moment, particularly at how the tight shirt made her bust stand out all the better, then coughed and looked away as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. "W-well! Do you remember everything I told you?"

"Yep, yep~!" Haruka said, with a giggle. "Welcome, welcome, and can I take your order~?"

"Perfect," the manager said. "Go out there, and remember to smile!"

"Okay~!" Haruka said as the waitress by the register gave her a notebook and pen, then headed out in to the store to begin her work.

The waitress watched as Haruka went out in to the store, then eyed the manager suspiciously. The manager distinctively avoided looking at the waitress, instead staring after Haruka.

Haruka hummed as she glanced around the store, then noticed a table that hadn't been helped yet. There was a young couple sitting there, a boy and a girl who were busy looking over the menu. Haruka smiled and approached the table. "Hello and welcome~! May I help you~?"

"Yeah, we'd like a–," the boy began as he turned to look at Haruka, then stopped short. "–Holy shit!"

"Hm~?" Haruka smiled as she tilted her head. She knew precisely why he was reacting the way he did, but she opted not to acknowledge it. "I don't think we have that, sir~!"

The boy's girlfriend stared at Haruka for a moment before she turned her head to glare right at her date. The boy paused, then laughed nervously. He quickly averted his gaze, staring down at the menu. "I-I mean… we'd like two strawberry shortcakes, a small coffee, and a root beer float."

"With _two_ straws," the girl said, as she continued to stare hard at her boyfriend. "Because we're a _couple_."

"Okay, okay~!" Haruka said as she wrote down the order. Considering they were both getting drinks, she suspected the root beer float wasn't going to be shared like some romantic moment; the girl just mentioned the straws so that she'd have an excuse to mention that they were a couple without seeming insecure. She still looked insecure, of course, but there was no reason to point that out. "It'll be right out, thank you~!"

The young trainer headed back to the waitress, humming to herself. She ripped out the page with the order and handed it to the waitress at the counter, who accepted the information and proceeded to fill out the order. When the other girl returned with the food on a round black tray, Haruka happily took the tray and carried it back out to the couple. Haruka noticed the boy busily typing away at his phone as his date continued to scowl at him. The girl glanced up at Haruka before looking back down at the table as Haruka placed their order in front of them.

"Here you go~!" Haruka said. "Enjoy, enjoy~!"

"Thank you," the girl said stiffly.

"Y-yeah, thanks," the boy said, still typing quickly in to his phone.

Phoenix watched the entire exchange very closely, her eyes narrowed in to slits. She still hadn't touched her cupcake, far too focused on Haruka to even think of eating. Zu looked over at the Torchic and furrowed his eyebrows, then turned to look at the gluttonous Cetan as he finished off his own sugary treat. The Taillow warbled, then began preening himself.

Haruka quickly got in to the swing of things. There weren't many customers at first, so she was able to take her time and get comfortable with the process. Soon enough, she was moving around the tables with the grace of a professional, with a smile and a tray of dessert.

Gradually, however, the crowd increased. It started with a small group of customers every so often, oddly enough composed mostly of males with only the occasional girl. She hadn't expected boys to regularly visit cute little cafes, especially without a date, but perhaps she was just operating off of a stereotype. After all, it _was_ a _maid_ cafe – boys were probably the target demographic. Admittedly, it _was_ a bit odd that so many of the new customers kept playing with their cell phones while ordering, even going so far as to 'discreetly' snap pictures of Haruka when they thought she wouldn't notice, but she often heard her mother complain about teenagers 'these days' apparently being glued to their cell phones. Whatever the case, Haruka couldn't help but notice that more and more boys began filling the cafe as the hour dragged on.

"Here you go, here you go~!" Haruka said as she set a tray down in front of a boy. "Enjoy~!"

The boy quickly snapped a picture of Haruka with his cell phone, then looked up sheepishly at the waitress. "U-uh, thanks."

"Sure~!" Haruka said as she straightened up, then turned to walk away. She wasn't particularly irritated about the boy taking a picture. It was something she was far too used to having to deal with when she visited Yuki – though it was never about her personally, and more that she was just caught in the lens-flare meant for the famous son of Senri. Still, if they wanted to take a picture, they were more than welcome to. After all, the outfit _was_ pretty adorable!

Phoenix watched like a hawk, her entire body rigid. Zu chirped before he poked at Phoenix, attempting to bring her attention back to her food and away from the trainer. For his efforts, he was rewarded with a fierce _glare_ that caused the Piplup to flinch back, then stare helplessly at the Torchic as she returned to her vigil.

"Welcome~!" Haruka said as she turned towards yet another group of boys as they entered the cafe.

"Cripes!" One of the boys blurted out the moment he saw Haruka. "It's _true_!"

"Hmmmm~?" Haruka tilted her head as she smiled. "_What's_ true?"

"N-nothing," the boy stammered, beat red in the face as he and his friends hurried to a nearby booth.

"Hmhm~! Okay, okay~!" Haruka said as she continued to smile. Haruka was many things, but _stupid_ was not one of them. The boy's outburst was clearly _not_ 'nothing'. Whatever was 'true', she knew it had to do with her. Even more, she began to suspect that it was the reason that so many boys were suddenly patronizing the cafe as well. It seemed far too coincidental to be unrelated. The fact that the boys promptly took out their cell phones as well suggested to her that there _was_ a connection. But if they lacked the courage to admit that, it was their problem, not hers.

Still, at least Haruka knew that something was going on. She imagined it was some message on a forum or some other social network, announcing that a girl in a maid outfit with a tight blouse was waitressing and then giving the location. She wouldn't have been surprised to see her picture accompanying that announcement, or at least following it once others managed to verify its authenticity. It was obviously a big deal to _some_ people, as she was drawing a crowd.

Haruka didn't care, not even enough to take a moment to check for the announcement herself. Whatever it said, there was nothing she could do about it. Besides, she had long since learned that if people intended to talk, they would talk and there was _nothing_ she could do about it.

She was dressing up because she wanted to. If some strangers wanted to gawk at her because of it, that was their choice – she wasn't encouraging them or even discouraging them in any way. So long as they ordered something and paid their bills, she had nothing to complain about.

"Thank you and have a good day~!" Haruka said as she moved to clean up a table after the occupants reluctantly left, snapping more pictures as they went. The tips were good, overall. There were a few tables where the customers didn't leave Haruka a tip, with one boy leaving his phone number instead of a tip, but the rest were all very generous. Haruka didn't know if they were expressing their appreciation or alleviating their guilt, but she accepted it regardless of the intent. If other people were enjoying her having a good time, then what more could anyone ask for?

Haruka hummed as she carried the tray to the kitchen. She glanced over to her Pokémon, as she had done numerous times during her shift. She was pleased to see that Phoenix had finally begin to relax, eating her cupcake slowly even while Zu and Cetan had already moved on to their next pastry – a brownie in the shape of a heart, with red frosting trim. The Torchic still kept glancing at Haruka, if only to reassure herself that her trainer was nearby and perfectly safe.

"They don't seem bored yet," Haruka mused as she put away the dishes. She had only meant to wait tables for an hour, maybe two – just enough to pay for her hotel. However, the tips _alone_ had more than paid for that in the first half hour. It was hard to want to quit when she was drawing in crowds, considering both the manager and herself were benefiting from the attention. As her original goal had long since gone, she told herself she would stop when any of her Pokémon started to show any signs of boredom or agitation. After all, they were her first priority.

Haruka had been worried that she was being unfair to them as she began her third hour of work, but it seemed that the other waitresses were making sure that her Pokémon were entertained. Zu was a real hit with the girls, who cooed over the little gentleman and the way he blushed when he was paid a compliment. Cetan was equally pleased, preening and puffing up as the other girls pet him. Even Phoenix seemed to be relaxing, as marginally as it was, and didn't openly complain when one of the cashiers began braiding her head feathers. As far as Haruka was concerned, it was a huge break-through – no fire was exchanged as the Torchic was pampered by someone _other_ than Haruka.

"I can go a little while longer," Haruka thought as she left the kitchen. "Either until my Pokémon get bored or the tips run dry, whichever comes first."

Or until things got unpleasant. Haruka knew well enough that with the information out on the Internet, it was only a matter of time before she attracted more than just harmless gawkers. She was admittedly a bit amazed that they hadn't moved in _already_. The worst thing to happen so far was a couple attempts by the sneakier gawkers at up skirt shots, which had been thwarted by the simple fact that Haruka wore her shorts underneath the skirt.

Haruka had a good giggle at their sounds of disappointment when they checked the results of their so-called photography. Perhaps she should've felt irritated by the behavior or the attention she was getting, but she wasn't. She felt like it had nothing to do with her, she wasn't wearing the uniform for _them_ so their reactions were irrelevant. She wore the outfit because it was cute, and she enjoyed wearing cute outfits. If they wanted to gawk, that reflected on them; if they wanted to behave badly, that also reflected on them. Even if absolutely no one else paid her _any_ mind when she dressed up, she wouldn't behave any differently. At the very least, Yuki would appreciate what she was wearing, and that was good enough for her. She wasn't going to change her behavior to suit a bunch of strangers.

"I guess I have Senri's _fans_ to thank for that," Haruka mused. As the son of their favorite celebrity, Yuki had gained quite a following himself, though it seemed to Haruka that they never really bothered to care about _him_ beyond his connection to Senri. Ranging from older female fans trying to live vicariously through their daughters or teenage girls reluctantly admitting that they had no chance with the married man, Yuki was a highly contested eligible bachelor.

And being Yuki's closest childhood friend _and_ a female to boot, having a thick skin was really the only way Haruka could have survived. One of the many benefits that came from taking off as he did was the fact that Yuki no longer had to tolerate the unsolicited matchmaking attempts or the outright acts of _sabotage_ against Yuki and Haruka's own relationship.

"_You're being quite rude, I'll have you know," A lady said with a sniff of disdain, a woman that Haruka only marginally recognized as the mother of one of the girls vying for Yuki's attention. "Monopolizing young Yuki's attention."_

"_Hmmm~?" Haruka smiled as she tilted her head. "Rude~?"_

"_There are other young girls who would like the pleasure of his company," the lady said, as she glared down her nose at the young girl. "And yet you insist on taking all of his time!"_

"_If Yuki wants to spend time with me, he will. If he doesn't, he won't~! That's – just – how – it – is~!" Haruka said with a shrug of her shoulders._

"_Quite frankly, I don't approve of your attitude, young lady," the woman growled, with great authority._

"_Quite frankly, I don't give a damn~!" Haruka said, with a bright smile and a tilt of her head. "I'm not required to share Yuki with anyone, and I'm certainly not required to care what you think about anything~!"_

"_H-how dare you_–_!" the woman sputtered, trying to recover from the rather flippant attitude from the young girl in front of her. "If you think I'm going to tolerate_–_!"_

"_Nope, nope, don't care~!" Haruka said. She gave a short wave, then turned and proceeded to walk away. "Goodbye~!"_

"_You wait one second-!" the woman thundered after Haruka, who continued to walk off with a slight skip in her step._

"_Nope, still not caring~! Try again later~!"_

"I have a way of making people angry, I think," Haruka thought as she maneuvered around the cafe, carrying trays of desserts to customers and cleaning up dirty plates as she went. "But it really isn't anyone's business what I do _or_ what goes on between me and Yuki. If I want help, I'll ask for it… but if people think I'm just going to–"

A sharp snapping of fingers broke Haruka's thoughts, momentarily startling her. She blinked and glanced around before she found herself looking at a table of boys, new customers that had just made themselves comfortable at a table Haruka had just cleaned. One of the boys was snapping his fingers at her, smirking.

Haruka tilted her head as she regarded the boy before she smiled brightly, lifting up her spare hand to snap her fingers loudly. "See~? I can do it too~!" She then turned and resumed waiting on the table in front of her.

As Haruka focused on the table in front of her, she could hear the table of boys get rowdier. They knew they had gotten her attention, and they weren't about to let the matter go.

"Hey, babe! How about some _service_?"

"Why don't you come sit in Daddy's lap?"

"Take it off!"

"Hey, man," one of the boys from a different table hissed, scowling at the newcomers. "Knock it off. Yer gonna chase her off."

"Bite me," the boy who had snapped his fingers said, as he kept his eyes on Haruka.

Haruka did her best to avoid rolling her eyes as she walked past the table. There always had to be _someone_ that'd ruin things for _everyone_, some idiot who couldn't control themselves. Honestly, she was a bit amazed that things lasted as long as they did without de-evolving in to innuendo and bad behavior.

Still, it was a sign that things were over. She had more than earned enough to make the effort worth her time, and the outfit was beginning to hurt her breasts anyway. She saw no reason to stick around and get cat-called at; she tolerated more than her fair share in middle school, when she developed a lot earlier than the rest of her female classmates.

Haruka finished waiting on all the tables, save for the one with the rude boys. She made a distinct effort to ignore them, which she was certain they were aware of as they increased their volume _and_ their rowdiness.

"Hey, babe, this is some pretty shitty service. How you gonna make it up to us?"

"Why don't I give those balloons a squeeze, see if they're real?"

"If you want your tip, you better do somethin' nice for the camera!" One of the boys said as he held up his camera, keeping it trained on Haruka. She was obviously taking video of her, panning it across her body from head to toe.

Haruka didn't even look at the boy or his camera as she walked back to the counter, still smiling. She kept a wide distance from the table, in case any of them attempted to make a grab for her. She wouldn't have put it past them, and the idea of being touched by them as too disgusting for words. Besides, she'd have to punch them in retaliation, and that meant touching _them_. They might've been the types to enjoy that!

Phoenix bristled as she glared directly at the boys, smoke billowing out of her nose. Even Zu had stopped to stare at the boys, watching them intently. Cetan noticed only so much in that the boys' activities had caused the other waitresses to stop crooning over him and instead watch with disapproving frowns. The Taillow craned his neck and chirped, then bumped his head against one of the hesitating hands.

Haruka walked by the table and glanced over at her Pokémon, her eyes meeting Phoenix's. The Torchic stopped and stared at Haruka, and thus noticed the girl discreetly lift her hand and point towards the back room. Phoenix immediately understood, her face fierce as she leapt down off her chair and scurried after Haruka.

While Zu had missed Haruka's silent message, he immediately noticed Phoenix leaving. Uncertain of what was going on, he nevertheless jumped down to follow after her. He took a few steps before noticing that Cetan wasn't paying attention. With a chirp, Zu grabbed Cetan's tail with his flippers, showing amazing dexterity as he dragged the squawking and confused Taillow after him.

The other waitresses, the brunette Haruka had met when she first entered the cafe as well as a blonde girl with pigtails, looked at each other before they followed the Pokémon in to the back room, leaving the hooting and hollering boys to their business. The manager looked hesitant and was about to follow when both of the girls shot him a dirty look, freezing him in his place before the door was closed behind them.

Once in the back, Cetan chattered noisily as he smacked at Zu with his wings, getting the Piplup to release him. Zu paid him no mind and left Cetan to sulk on the floor, heading over to Haruka. Haruka quickly set about changing her clothes, taking off the maid outfit as quickly as she could. Phoenix caught sight of Zu approaching and gave the boy Pokémon a smoldering stare, which caused Zu to immediately avert his eyes from the undressing female.

"I'm sorry about that," the brunette said as she approached, taking the maid uniform from off the table. "Some people just have no manners."

"Not your fault, not your fault~!" Haruka said as she slipped her shirt back over her head. "I figured it would happen, and it did~! They just took their time getting here, that's all!"

"Still, you shouldn't have to deal with that," the brunette said. "You don't even work here full-time."

Haruka paused as she glanced over at the other girls. "Do _you_ have to deal with it? If I leave, will that leave _you_ to deal with those punks?"

"Oh, don't worry," the blonde said as she waved her hand. "We're used to this stuff."

Haruka frowned at that, then pointed at the door. "I can go take care of them right now. I brought them in, so I can chase them right back out. I'm pretty good at punching people!"

"It's fine, really!" the blonde said as she raised both her hands. "It's in our contracts, we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone that makes us uncomfortable. Just like you did just now."

"Oh, I just did that because I don't care about upsetting them and didn't feel like tolerating them," Haruka said. "I'd do it even if I didn't have the right to."

The brunette giggled. "Well, luckily, we don't get perverts visiting that often. I know you might think this stuff happens a lot, but most people that come here actually behave themselves. They just want to enjoy the desserts and the atmosphere."

"There's always _someone_ who has to ruin it for everyone else," Haruka said as she resumed getting dressed.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, you'll get your pay through the League, so don't worry about that. You might want to sneak out the back, just so they don't stalk you."

Haruka furrowed her brows. "Are you sure? I really shouldn't leave you like this…"

"It's fine, really!" the blonde said as she laughed. She then paused and got a rather mischievous look in her eyes, a smirk appearing across her face. "Though, if you don't mind, there _is_ something you could do…"

Haruka blinked before she tilted her head.

* * *

><p>"Geez, what the hell's takin' her?" one of the boys grouched as he slouched in the chair. "It's been ten minutes already."<p>

"She's probably on the toilet, havin' a cry or somethin'," one of the other boys said as he rested his elbows on the table. "Girls do that crap."

"_Please_, as if she wasn't beggin' for it," the slouched boy snorted. "She's just bein' a drama queen."

The boy with the camera scowled as he flipped through the device. "I didn't get anything good at all. No boob shot, not even a panty shot. I mean, she's wearing shorts under her skirt! What kind of girl wears _shorts_!_?_"

"See? She's a freakin' tease," the slouched boy scoffed. "How long do we give 'er before we make the manager chase her ass back out here?"

"Not too much longer," the boy with his elbows on the table said. "I think she's milked this long enough."

The other occupants of the café seemed unhappy with the situation themselves, but for an entirely different reason. Many of them glared at the group of rude boys at the table, even as they began to file out. A few still hung around with their desserts, waiting to see if Haruka would make a reappearance after all, but the vast majority decided that the party was over. The longer Haruka didn't come back from the employee area, the more the rest of the customers accepted that their fun had been ruined and proceeded to leave.

Not all of them were willing to accept that possibility, however.

"She's really startin' to piss me off," the slouched boy snapped. "If she doesn't get out here fast, she's gonna regret it."

"Hah, maybe we should tell her if she wants to apologize, she'll hafta take her top off," the boy with the camera laughed. "It's the _least_ she could do after–"

At that moment, Haruka stopped right outside the cafe, by the window closest to the boy's table. She grinned as she tapped on the window with her knuckles, getting the boys' attention. They stared at her in confusion, taking a moment to realize who she was. However, Haruka didn't give them a chance to do anything except stare.

"Ready~? Aaaand…," Haruka reached up her left hand to pull down her eyelid while she simultaneously stuck out her tongue. "_Bleeeeh_~!"

Phoenix and Zu joined in, with Phoenix in Haruka's arms and Zu on her shoulder; the two similarly reached up their free wings to pull down their eyelids and stuck out their tiny tongues at the three stupefied boys. Even Cetan got in to the act, though he outdid the others by pulling down _both_ eyelids and rolling his eyes about while flapping his tongue. It was all about execution, and he would out-perform them all!

"It's that stupid-!" the slouched boy instantly stood up.

Haruka let out a bark of laughter before she quickly hurried off, Zu and Phoenix holding on to her. Cetan continued to make his face as he sat on Haruka's head, turning his body about to maintain eye contact with his targets.

The Pokémon trainer disappeared in to the night, leaving the cafe and its occupants behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

Haruka giggled as she made it back to the hotel. She had half-expected the boys to follow her, but they were nowhere in sight. It was just as well, for their sake. It was never a good idea to chase a Pokémon trainer.

The teenage girl went back to her room, Pokémon in tow. It was already quite late in the day, the sun slowly setting in the crimson sky. An hour's diversion had unintentionally turned in to a half-a-day event.

"That was kind of unfair to _you_, huh?" Haruka muttered as she put Phoenix down on the bed. "You must be _starving_. Treats don't count at dinner, not – at – all!"

Zu chirped while Cetan fluttered off of Haruka's head and landed on the bed. Phoenix ignored the two male Pokémon, watching Haruka intently.

"I know, I know~!" Haruka said as she clapped her hands. "I'll order us some pizza, okay~?" She pulled her Pokédex out of her pocket, humming to herself. As she flipped open the handheld device, Haruka was startled to see several missed calls – from _Yuki_ of all people. Frowning, she quickly selected the option to return his calls, only to get the boy's voice mail. "Huuuh… he's not answering."

While it was a little unsettling to miss Yuki's calls, Haruka decided to not worry about it – yet. If it had been an emergency, Yuki would have left a voice mail. For all she knew, he was busy; odds were good that he was dealing with one of Senri's friends, and couldn't answer the phone. She'd just try to call him back later.

"A-ny-way~! Let's order that pizza~!" Haruka said, accessing the phone book app on the Pokédex and using it to search locally for a pizzeria. "It'll be a nice reward, and a good way to end the day~!"

After ordering the pizza, Haruka kicked off her shoes and flopped down on the soft bed. Using her toes to hook the edges of her socks, she tugged them off each in turn and dropped them in her shoes. With her feet now free of bondage, Haruka swung her legs up on the bed and leaned back against the pillow.

"Today was a long day~!" Haruka said. "Now it's time to relax~!"

Phoenix walked across the bed before flopping down next to Haruka, letting out a sigh as she got comfortable. Zu situated himself at the foot of the bed, lying on his stomach as he stretched his body out. Cetan flew up to the rafters overhead, grasping one of the beams before dangling upside down like a bat. He twittered as he flapped his wings.

Haruka glanced up at Cetan and giggled. "Yep, yep~! I see you~!"

Cetan chirped as he stopped flapping, stretching his wings out wide. Satisfied that Haruka had properly paid attention to him, the Taillow withdrew his wings and righted himself on top of the rafter beam. He roosted high above the room, puffed up happily. Phoenix rolled her eyes but said nothing.

"Let's see what's on TV while we wait," Haruka said, reaching for the remote control on the nightstand next to the bed. She used it to flip on the television set mounted on the far wall across from the bed.

The television flickered to life, immediately displaying the image of a man in a gray suit with neat brown hair. It was a news broadcast.

"In other news, the eco-terrorist group known as Team Aqua has–"

"Nope," Haruka said as she changed the channel. The Pokémon trainer flipped through the channels, images flashing about as she abruptly interrupted the various programs.

"New studies show that–"

"–the proud, the strong, the Pokémon Rangers–"

"–topped with our special cheese, made with 100% Miltank–"

"News, commercial, commercial, news, commercial, infomercial," Haruka said as she continued to change the channels at a rapid pace. "Where's the Pokémon Network or the League Channel?"

"–The agreement between these two major corporations is exciting news, particularly to those in the Pokémon field."

Haruka stopped instantly, blinking. "Agreement?"

The newscast instantly cut away to a taped video feed of a press conference, where two suited men addressed a crowd of reporters. The man in the stylish black suit with purple zigzags down the front, a red ascot, and white armbands, with his wild icy light-blue hair and matching light-blue eyes, was easily recognizable as the Champion of Hoenn and the CEO of Devon Corporation, Daigo Tsuwabuki. Beside him was a man that Haruka didn't recognize, a tall and muscular man with neatly trimmed black hair and a stern face. He wore a black suit with a white dress shirt underneath, standing out quite a bit next to Champion Daigo. However, what _really_ stood out was the beautiful white Persian with silver tips that stood regally beside the man.

"He must be the CEO of Silph Company," Haruka said. "That's the only way _anyone_ could afford a _Persian_." The majestic cat Pokémon and its lower evolution, the Meowth, had been hunted to near extinction for their species specific ability – pay day. Meowth-created gold and Persian-created jewels were highly desired for their purity and beauty. That demand resulted in the _decimation_ of their population, until the League finally stepped in to prevent the over-harvesting and rampant abuse of the species.

Still, it came too little and too late, and the entire species had become critically endangered. The odds of coming across a wild Meowth or Persian were so low that people had a better chance of winning the lottery, and it _took_ winning the lottery just to be able to _afford_ one of the domesticated counterparts. As a result, the Pokémon became a symbol of power and wealth.

"I _know_ Senri's fans are going to be comparing her to Tyrant, and raise a fuss at how he's showing her off like that," Haruka said. Honestly, there was no comparison. While Senri's Persian was a real powerhouse and the corner-stone of his personal competitive team, _this_ Persian had something that Tyrant definitely didn't have – a _glow_. Haruka had a hard time believing what she saw, but she couldn't deny that the Persian by the stern-faced man had a glistening aura. That meant only one thing – the man's Persian was a _shiny_. To not only have a Persian, but a _shiny_ Persian at that, it begged the question of just who the man was.

"This agreement marks the beginning of an era, an era of greater cooperation and opportunities for everyone in the field of Pokémon," Daigo said. The stern-faced man grinned slightly, but said nothing. "Furthermore, it is with _great_ pleasure that I announce something that those who participate in the Devon Corp. sponsored Pokémon Festivals, held quarterly across the world in conjunction with the Pokémon League, will be equally excited about."

Haruka leaned forward, staring at the television screen. She was willing to forgive the rather _obvious_ plug, just so long as the announcement was worthwhile. For all she knew, it was just more EV-training equipment or healing potions. Still, all the hype seemed a bit excessive for something so mundane – surely it had to be something major, but the question was _what_.

"Effective immediately, _Eevee eggs_ will be awarded worldwide to competitors who earn top-marks in the Devon Corp. National Pokémon Festivals," Daigo said. "This is a _momentous_ occasion, as these artificially created Pokémon have _never_ been available to the public prior to this arrangement, and will _only_ be available to through the Devon Corp. National Pokémon Festival. I encourage you to take part in this opportunity."

Haruka's jaw dropped. To say that it was merely 'momentous' was an _understatement_. Silph Company had made headlines when they first created the Eevee and again when they gained official Pokémon status when the renowned Pokémon Professor, Professor Okido, had given them a positive endorsement. The Eevees went beyond mere selective breeding, having been _entirely_ created in a laboratory, from each individual cell and up. They were an evolutionary Pandora's Box; While the Eevee started as a Normal type, it had the potential to evolve in to _any_ Type of Pokémon. Be it from Evolution Stones to environment, affection to time of day, the Eevees could become _anything_ the trainer wanted – though admittedly, they could only evolve once.

Others have tried to create artificial Pokémon, but never with such success. Haruka knew of a computer program called a Porygon that _acted_ like a Pokémon and was _described_ as the first virtual reality Pokémon, but was never able to get authorized for official Pokémon status. The Eevee was the only success story and it had only ever been available to the select few – not even _money_ could buy one.

And now, they were going to be given away as prizes?

"One Eevee egg will be available for the winner of each section, for a total of three eggs at each Festival," Daigo continued, as cameras flashed vividly in his face. "One for the Pokéathalons section, one for the Contest section, and one for the Battle section."

"W-wow," Haruka muttered. "The Pokémon Festivals are going to be _flooded_ with competitors for a _long_ time." A newbie like her wouldn't have a _chance_ at winning, not with such a prize luring out the Pokémon behemoths that might have opted out of the festivals in other years. She wouldn't be surprised if _gym leaders_ took the time out to participate, with such a mouthwatering prize dangled in front of them. And considering there would only be three eggs given out at each festival, it'd take _years_, if not _decades_, for the attendance to die down.

If Haruka were to count all of the Pokémon Festivals that Devon Corporation held across the world, four times a year, then it would amount to barely over a hundred Eevee a year. That meant a hundred Eevee for _many millions_ of Pokémon Trainers. And she sincerely doubted that number would get any better, as the odds were slim to _none_ that the prize Eevees wouldn't be sterile. _All_ Eevees were sterile, save for the extremely rare occurrence. The only one that she could think of was the shiny Eevee given to Professor Okido, when he was evaluating the Eevee for Pokémon status. She had seen the Okido blog, where one of the professor's assistants posted _adorable_ pictures of the Pokémon at the Okido laboratory – which included a shiny _Pikachu_ as well. She had saved many adorable pictures from that blog, and always wanted an Eevee for herself because of it.

Daigo smiled as the cameras flashed violently, the paparazzi exploding in to action as they took numerous photos. He then turned to the other man as he stepped back, nodding his head towards the other important speaker at their press conference. "And now, the CEO of Silph Company, Gym Leader Sakaki of Tokiwa City."

Sakaki flashed the cameras an easy smile Haruka often saw on many celebrities' faces, the kind that was hard to read if it was sincere or a mask covering up something not quite as wholesome as they were pretending to be. "Thank you, Daigo," he said in a smooth baritone voice. "It is the hope of Silph Co. that this partnership will allow our prized Eevee to be shared and enjoyed throughout the world by people who truly deserve them."

"He's kind of scary," Haruka muttered. She couldn't explain why, it was something she couldn't put her finger on. However, it made complete sense why _he_ would have a shiny Persian.

Sakaki gestured offstage and a woman with long red hair that curved around her hip walked out with an object covered by a cloth. "To show our appreciation for this opportunity, Silph Co. would like to present Champion Daigo with a personal gift." He nodded to the woman who removed the cloth, revealing a Pokéball painted in silver and small designs too ornate for the camera to properly pick up. The Pokéball opened in a flash of light and a Pokémon appeared in an explosion of tiny glittering lights. A silver Eevee with fur that glistened luxuriously in the light stood poised regally before the suddenly excited crowd. White flashes of cameras going off created a strobing effect for a full minute as the woman presented the Pokéball to Daigo. "The world's second shiny Eevee."

To say that Champion Daigo looked stunned would have been an understatement. He gaped openly at the little creature in front of him before he managed to regain his press-conference face. Still, he leaned down to gently pick up the creature and cradle it in his arms, the Eevee in turn snuggling against his chest. "…I am most humbled by this immense gift."

"Brooooownie points," Haruka said, even as she felt a wave of envy.

Sakaki's smile broadened. "The man who is helping Silph Co. to enrich the lives of people and Pokémon the world over deserves nothing less, I assure you." He returned his attention to the camera. "Our partnership with Devon Corp. does not end with bringing Eevee to the world. Thanks to Champion Daigo's revolutionary fossil technology, we hope to uncover new secrets about Pokémon who have long passed and allow us to create the next generation of Pokémon. I don't doubt that one day, with the united efforts of Silph Co. and Devon Corp. that we will be able to give the ancient Pokémon new life."

Haruka sat up and clenched her fists, shaking them slightly. "Eeeeee–! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" She knew about Devon Corporation's work on reviving fossils, it was one of the few things that actually put Hoenn on the map. To hear that it might actually lead to long-dead Pokémon coming _alive_ once again was exciting news indeed. "Oh my _gosh_! Could this _get_ any more exciting!_?_ _I – don't – think – so_!"

The reporters exploded into a frenzy, bombarding the men on stage with so many questions that their voices became an indistinct roar. Sakaki waited until the chatter calmed a bit, as his Persian let out a huge yawn, as though bored with the world-altering proceedings. The answers the CEO of Silph Co. gave when he started taking the questions of individual reporters were vague, lending little more than tantalizing hints that their goals did not stop with trying to revive extinct Pokémon.

Phoenix stared at the television screen, frowning, before she turned to Haruka. She obviously didn't see what the big deal was, or why the girl was so excited. Haruka noticed the Torchic and turned to smile at her.

"Just imagine, being able to give extinct Pokémon a chance to live again! It'd answer so many questions, so many mysteries~!" Haruka said. "And besides, Pokémon Dinosaurs are so _cool_!"

Phoenix arched an eyebrow, unimpressed.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Haruka looked up quickly, distracted from the television. "Oh! The pizza~!" She quickly hopped off the bed and hurried to the door.

Phoenix watched Haruka as she raced across the room before she returned her attention to the television screen. The camera panned over to focus on Champion Daigo, who looked a bit distracted as he focused on his new Eevee. The shiny Pokémon looked quite happy as the Champion rubbed its chin affectionately, definitely purring even if it couldn't be heard above the din of reporters.

Phoenix's eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared at the Eevee, before she reached over to grab the remote control and turned off the television with a rather aggressive push of the button.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for the three Pokémon and their trainer to demolish the pizza. Two of the three pizzas went to the Pokémon – one mega meat menagerie with extra meat toppings and one sardine seafood special – while Haruka indulged in the luxury of having a large cheesy meat lovers all for herself. She was lucky in that all three of her Pokémon were omnivores with carnivore tendencies, so she didn't have to worry about what they could eat. Not all Pokémon had such flexible diets, so she could count herself lucky that she didn't have to create anything special for them, like many other serious trainers did. That would change if she caught herself a herbivore, but she didn't plan on catching any more Pokémon for a long time.<p>

Haruka munched on a slice of pizza as she flipped open her Pokédex, using her thumb to tap at the screen in order to access her contact list. It had been over half an hour since she last attempted to call Yuki, and she was debating trying again. On the one hand, she wanted to talk to him; on the other hand, Yuki's situation often made such a thing impossible. They couldn't very well set a schedule on something as nebulous as whatever time Yuki felt _safe_ contacting her.

"Stupid Senri," Haruka muttered as her thumb hovered over Yuki's name. She didn't want to call at a bad time, but she imagined Yuki wouldn't answer if it _was_. Surely there was no harm in trying?

Yuki decided the answer for her. Just before Haruka was about to click on his name, her Pokédex rang to life as an incoming call from Yuki flashed on the screen. The teenage girl jumped slightly before she tapped her thumb on to the flickering name. She then held the Pokédex to her ear.

"Hello, Yuki~!" Haruka said, brightly.

"H-Haruka!" Yuki's voice sounded labored, the boy breathing rather heavily. "Are you alright?"

Haruka frowned as she felt a wave of déjà vu come over her. It wasn't a feeling she particularly liked. "Yes, I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"T-thank god, I-," Yuki paused, gasping for breath. There was an uncomfortably long stretch of silence, which only served to increase Haruka's anxiety. "Never mind! I'll talk to you later!"

Haruka's frown deepened. "Yuuuuukiiiii…"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Yuki said, breathlessly. "I just… my dad–"

"Okay, okay," Haruka said, with a scowl. She immediately knew what was going on, and she didn't like it one bit. She recalled a saying about cutting the apron strings, but they really felt like grasping _tentacles_ in Yuki's case. No doubt Senri or one of his allies was after Yuki, causing the boy to flee. Of course, it didn't explain why he felt compelled to check on her safety, but she'd ask him about that later. "Call me back when you've escaped, okay~?"

"Sorry!" was all Yuki could say before he promptly hung up.

Haruka glowered at her Pokédex before snapping it closed. She noticed Phoenix and Zu looking at her intently and forced a small smile on her face. "Don't worry, don't worry~! I'm used to this~!"

Zu furrowed his eyebrows, while Phoenix arched hers. The two glanced at each other, before the Torchic realized what she was doing and fixed the Piplup with a _glare_. Cetan didn't seem to be paying attention, preening himself to remove the tomato sauce and cheese from his feathers.

"Well, I guess that's _that_," Haruka said as she leaned back on the bed. "I dooooubt he'll call me back tonight, so we may as well get ready for bed."

There really wasn't much point to staying up anymore. Yuki was occupied, the gym was closed, and she was tired anyway; the whole situation at the cafe had drained her quite a bit. For something that was supposed to be for her own amusement, it ended on a particularly sour note. It was just another bad note for a horrific symphony that was her day. There was nothing to be done, save go to bed and sleep it all away.

The sooner it was all over, the better.

* * *

><p>It was almost noon by the time Haruka finally decided to get up. While she had normally made a point of starting her day early, she felt like she deserved a little extra sleep to finish washing away all the stress that remained from the previous day. And it had worked, as she was in a particularly good mood as she brushed her teeth in the bathroom, humming as she scrubbed at her pearl-white teeth.<p>

Phoenix sat on the bed, watching the television with a rather bored expression. She made it a point to ignore Cetan, who was busy warbling cheerfully from his perch on a chair by the bathroom. The fact that he was singing with Haruka was irritating, but not enough for her to waste energy glaring at him.

Phoenix extended the same indifferent attitude to Zu, who was busy packing up Haruka's belongings for her. He took her neatly folded clothes and put them back in the bag. He stopped when he came across Haruka's undergarments, his eyes quickly darting to Phoenix as he froze. The Torchic didn't seem to notice what the Piplup had come across, her attention still on the television. Zu paused as he struggled with this dilemma, before he grabbed one of Haruka's shirts and used it to wrap around the undergarments, then shoved the whole wad of clothes in her bag. He quickly checked to see if Phoenix had noticed, and let out a visible sigh of relief when the Torchic hadn't.

"And for those of you that can't get enough of Senri, the gym leader of Touka City, we have breaking news concerning his son and an incident in Kinsetsu City just last night!" a cheerful female newscaster said, smiling brightly for the camera.

Haruka paused and stuck her head out the bathroom door, hand still gripping the stationary toothbrush in her mouth. Her eyes widened when the scene changed from the newsroom to that of a location she immediately recognized – the maid cafe from the other night.

"That's right, Mio," a reporter in a bright red pantsuit said, holding her microphone. "This location was, just last night, a scene of a fight between some local youths and the son of the gym leader, Senri of the Touka City Gym."

Haruka's jaw dropped as the broadcast proceeded to show amateur video of the incident, where she immediately recognized not only Yuki but the group of obnoxious customers who had chased her away from the cafe that night. Even though the rude boys' faces were digitally obscured, she still recognized their clothes. Yuki wasn't censored in the least, as despite being a youth, he was the child of a celebrity and thus not allotted any privacy. She stared as Yuki, his expression a mask of barely restrained rage, grabbed the fist of one of the rude teenagers and proceeded to twist it about, flipping the young man through the air.

"He… he was there?" Haruka mumbled, even though the toothbrush in her mouth distorted her words. She slowly stepped out of the bathroom, approaching the television. "Yuki was there? _When_?"

"Witnesses say the fight happened after a waitress had decided to leave after an altercation with the local youths," the reporter continued. "About ten minutes later, the gym leader's son entered the cafe, asking for the waitress' whereabouts."

Haruka gaped at the reporter. "T-ten minutes–?"

"What do we know about this waitress, Kiyomi?" the newscaster asked.

"Not much information is being released about her, save that she was a Pokémon Trainer who was working at this cafe for several hours," the reporter said. "She had drawn quite a crowd for whatever reason, which apparently attracted both the local youths _and_ Senri's son."

An image appeared on the screen of a cell phone photo of Haruka in her maid outfit, though her face was digitally obscured. Haruka scowled and proceeded to spit out her toothpaste in the sink, as the cleaning agent had lingered long enough to leave a bad taste in her mouth, though she kept her eyes glued on the television screen the entire time.

"The outfit's a bit too tight for her, isn't it?" Mio said.

"That's just your opinion," her coworker, a male anchorman in a grey business suit, said. He then seemed to realize what he said, particularly thanks to the look that Mio shot him, and quickly added. "So can we safely say this was just a bad mixture of temper and testosterone?"

Haruka wasn't really listening anymore. She spat out the rest of her toothpaste and washed off her toothbrush before shaking it off vigorously. She rushed over to her Pokédex, half-haphazardly shoving her toiletries in her bag as she passed it.

Immediately, Haruka noticed something that she had missed the night before – the small icon for a new voicemail in the bottom corner of the screen. The teenage girl's stomach churned as she stared at the voicemail, then clicked to access it. As she feared, it was dated last night – _before_ Yuki had called her while on the run. Haruka began to pace the room as she accessed the voicemail, her stomach continuing to clench.

"Hey, Haruka!" Yuki said, his voice surprisingly cheerful. "I just saw some photos of you on Pokébook dressed up at a maid cafe. You look great!" His voice dipped off in a low mutter. "Though the size is all wrong and I would adjust the color a bit and…" He paused abruptly to cough. "Er, sorry. Those pictures gave me ideas for how I could make that outfit look even better on you. Anyway! I noticed that I'm about fifteen minutes away from where you are, so I'll be right over to see you."

There was a moment of silence that made Haruka initially think Yuki hung up, but the faint sound of him breathing told her the message continued on. Sure enough, the boy cleared his voice. "I was thinking… I've really been missing you for months now. Chatting has made it a bit easier, but all the times where I wanted to talk to you but needed to avoid all communication have been driving me up the wall. And, well, after what happened with Team Magma, Phoenix's old trainer, and Route 117… Maybe it'd be better if we… not that I want to disrupt your journey or what _you_ want to do for yourself for a change, since you were always sacrificing so much for my sake all the time and you deserve to be able to do what _you_ want to do…" He trailed off into a mutter that was obviously not meant for Haruka to hear. "No, wait, this is coming out all wrong." He coughed again and forced a laugh as he raised his voice to a more normal volume. "Well, maybe we should discuss it in person. See you in a few. Bye!"

"What do the police say about all this?" Mio asked. "Have they gotten involved?"

Kiyomi nodded. "Charges have not been filed, as the police have ruled the situation 'mutual combat'–"

A loud _wham_ reverberated through the room as Haruka slammed her fist in to the bathroom door. Cetan squawked and fluttered his wings as both Zu and Phoenix turned to stare at the teenage girl. Haruka quivered, her fingers curled in to a tight fist, her other hand clutching the Pokédex to her ear even after the voicemail had ended. Her jaw clenched tightly, grinding her teeth together. She didn't know which would break first – her teeth or her jaw – but she didn't care either way.

Yuki had been on his way, he had been coming to see her. If she had just waited ten minutes, if she had just tolerated those _jerks_ for ten more minutes, Yuki would have shown up and she would have had him. At this very moment, she and Yuki would've been traveling together. Instead, she left and Yuki got in to a fight with those punks. It got the media's attention, and thus Senri's, and it caused Yuki to flee like a frightened rabbit to _goodness knows where_. He was on the run again, and would be maintaining radio silence until he felt safe again, whenever _that_ was.

Haruka had missed Yuki by _minutes_, who was _coming to see her_. That fact alone ground at her nerves just like her jaw was grinding at her teeth. It was hard to even think, as a fire raged in her veins and flooded her brain. It was a good thing that she was on her way to the Kinsetsu gym to get her next badge.

_She wanted to hurt something_.

* * *

><p>Haruka stood in front of the Kinsetsu City Gym, glaring at the building as if it had personally offended her. That obviously wasn't the case, but she couldn't find the energy to force one of her smiles over the ugly feelings boiling inside of her.<p>

The gym itself was a massive yellow building that looked more like a steel warehouse than an actual facility, with a circular logo on the front with five lightning bolts coming out of it. The logo itself told Haruka that it was the Kinsetsu City Gym, as well as revealing the gym leader's type – electricity.

Haruka clenched her jaw, tightening her grip around Phoenix as she held the Torchic in her arms. Phoenix glanced up at Haruka before fixing the facility with a glare of her own. Zu looked at the two girls with a small frown, then squawked when Cetan accidentally whacked him upside the head with a wing. The Piplup rubbed the back of his head and frowned at the Taillow, who hadn't noticed what he had done and continued cleaning his long wings from his perch on top of Haruka's head.

"Zu, Cetan," Haruka said, prompting the Piplup to look at her. Cetan chirped at the sound of his name, tilting his head sideway before resuming cleaning. "I have to put you in Pokéballs for now, okay?"

Zu looked about to protest, eying the smug Torchic. However, he decided against it and nodded. Haruka opened up her Pokédex and accessed the Pokémon status screen, clicking the recall buttons for Zu and Cetan. Both Pokémon shimmered with a faint light before they disappeared back in to their Pokéballs, Zu's expression uneasy while Cetan was oblivious, even as he stopped his cleaning to stare at his suddenly transparent wing seconds before he disappeared.

"One-on-one is my best bet," Haruka muttered. "And it's easier on Phoenix. I'll let everyone back out afterwards."

Phoenix puffed up, a smirk on her face as Haruka carried her inside the gym.

Inside, the lobby of the gym was vastly different from the one back in Kanazumi. The floor, walls, and furniture were all made of dark green metal with a gear motif. It would have made the lobby quite dark, if not for the bright neon lights that dazzled in almost every crevice. Flickering lights of all colors lined the support beams while a stream of light ran along the walls and down the floor as if a rainbow was racing from wall to wall, briefly illuminating the darkened structure before moving on. Haruka stood watching the rainbow, her anger momentarily forgotten, before it suddenly cut down to the floor and ran under her feet, then up the opposite wall.

Haruka blinked, then giggled before heading to the reception desk at the far wall. The entire counter top glowed softly in a constantly shifting prism of colors, making it very visible. "Hello, hello~! I'm here for a gym watch~!"

"Do you have an appointment?" the lady at the desk asked.

Haruka paused. She immediately thought back to Kanazumi City and what happened at _that_ gym. "…Mmmmmaybe. Check under Haruka Odamaki."

"Let's see," the receptionist typed at her computer, then nodded. "Yes, here you are. Haruka Odamaki, sponsored by Senri of Touka City. He said that you'd be coming in today."

"He did? How did he–?" Haruka paused as she furrowed her eyebrows, then thought back to the incident the night before. Senri obviously would have recognized her, even with the blur obscuring her face. In an instant, Haruka's bad mood returned. "…Ah hah."

"There will be a twenty minute wait, and we'll squeeze you in between Tessen's next appointments," the receptionist said. "Please have a seat in the meantime."

Haruka nodded as she looked down at her Pokédex, configuring the registered fight for a one-on-one. It automatically set the match to reflect how many Pokémon the trainer had, unlike trainer matches where the amount had to be manually arranged up front. Still, it could be changed prior to the gym match if the trainer wished. Less Pokémon meant less winnings and less room for error, but it also meant less Pokémon to fight against. Zu's type advantage made numbers unimportant against Tsutsuji but none of her Pokémon had an advantage this time – in fact, two even had a _dis_advantage. It was just better for Haruka to take the hit in winnings and not pressure Phoenix too much.

"I've been here for over an hour and _she_ just walks in and gets a match?" A male voice trickled in to Haruka's ears, a harsh whisper that couldn't decide if it wanted to be heard or not. "Must be nice to have a hand down Senri's pants!"

Haruka bristled, her jaw clenching before she glanced about, spotting two trainers sitting in chairs along the wall to her left. One was snickering, a man in tattered blue jeans and a tan jumper with an electric cigarette that was normally used by people trying to quit smoking. The other boy, who looked about her age and far too pleased with himself, didn't notice Haruka focusing in on him. He had slicked back teal colored hair, thick rimmed glasses, and wore a green dress shirt with a white collar and khaki pants.

"I mean, isn't he _married_–?" the boy continued before he jerked with a cry as Haruka suddenly came to a stop in front of him.

"It must be nice, being so stupid~!" Haruka said, with a smile that was devoid of all friendliness. "You can say whatever you want and not even be aware of how stupid you sound~!"

The boy looked taken aback, gawking at the girl before bristling. "You got a problem–!_?_"

"Do _you_?" Haruka asked, her voice cutting through the boy's words like a knife. "Or do you _normally_ talk trash about people under your breath, and this is the first time someone's called you on it?"

"I–" the boy looked flustered, not only by Haruka's glare but Phoenix's as well. The Torchic's eyes alone bore in to the boy as if they were drills trying to rip him apart. He glanced to the man beside him, who was making a point _not_ to look at him or Haruka.

"I'm in a bad mood, so don't push your luck," Haruka said. "If you can't back up your words, shut the hell up."

The boy stammered helplessly as Haruka walked to the other side of the lobby to sit, though Phoenix kept her glare focused on the boy with laser-like accuracy.

Several tense minutes went by, with Haruka pointedly ignoring the rude trainer across the lobby while Phoenix made no attempt to hide her contempt and openly glared at the teal haired boy.

Haruka knew she was being petty – she _knew_ it. She didn't even care about what the boy had said, he was completely irrelevant. People were always making comments about her, without actually knowing anything _about_ her. If it wasn't about her relationship with Yuki and Senri, it was about the premature development of her body; she had heard it all, and long since grown out of caring what anyone said about her. Normally, she would have just filed the trainer away as someone to ignore, someone who wasn't worth her time or energy. The fact was, the boy had simply provided Haruka with a convenient target for her anger and she had decided to take him up on the offer.

Haruka would have simply ignored the boy if she was in a better mood. She logically knew that he wasn't worth the time or effort, he wasn't even worth her anger. However, no matter how much she knew it intellectually, she simply didn't have the energy to make herself _care_ – all of her available energy was busy fostering the smoldering anger inside of her. Later, she might come to regret her actions, but later was _later_ and now was _now_.

And that meant the boy was just going to have to _deal_ with spending the next twenty minutes being glared at by a scary Torchic.

Time went by fairly quickly for Haruka, though she suspected the same could not be said for the rude trainer. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the teal haired boy exhale with relief and slump in his chair when suddenly the receptionist announced Haruka's name.

"Haruka Odamaki?" the receptionist called out. "Haruka Odamaki."

Haruka stood up and headed to the desk, Phoenix's head turning so she could maintain eye contact with the teal haired boy as Haruka slipped through the opening in the desk and to the large doors that lead deep inside the gym's interior.

Much like the other gym, Haruka wasn't actually going to the main arena just yet. Her destination was the locker room, where she'd wait a little longer for the current contender to finish and the gym leader to prepare for Haruka.

"It's really so different for other gym leaders, isn't it?" Haruka muttered as she sat down on the bench in the locker room, hugging Phoenix close. Two gym visits and only now did it finally hit her just how different things were from Touka City. She was expecting the gyms to all be like Senri's, where the gym leader's schedule was always filled to the _gills_ and the idea of a walk-in was _laughable_. The gym was always full of people desperate for a cancellation or to be squeezed in if a match didn't take as long as expected – like when an opponent was especially unprepared and got _trounced_ by Senri. Which, admittedly, was _often_.

Still, Senri could only fight so many people in a day, squeeze in so many matches with the hours given to him, and many of those waiting for an opportunity to sneak in would not get the chance. If that punk was whining about an hour wait as if it was a big deal, then he obviously never waited eight hours for the _chance_ to challenge Senri only to be told to come back the next day and try again or make an appointment for _months_ later.

Things were vastly different for the two gyms Haruka had experienced so far, where the lobbies were considerably more sparse with about five to ten trainers waiting for a walk-in. Perhaps she was looking at it wrong? Perhaps the lobbies weren't 'sparse', and that it was just _Senri's_ lobby, with its standing-room-only crowds and trainers willing to _fight_ for even a minute of Senri's time, that was the exception.

Senri was _always_ the exception.

"That jerk'll definitely get a match in today, where he'd probably wait _days_ for Touka City," Haruka said, then paused before a vicious smile appeared on her face. "Well, no, he'd be in the hospital for saying something bad about the _Great_ and _Wonderful_ Senri. After that and the arrests, it'd just clear up more space for the others." She'd heard rumors of trainers actually going after the others in order to increase their own chances of getting in to fight Senri, with alleyway matches and brawls that happened behind the scenes.

It wasn't Senri's fault that people'd do such stupid things for an equally stupid match, but it was still a symptom of the _Senrisation_ that followed him like a shadow. It was the same shadow that had chased Yuki away once again, as it _always_ did. And _that_ was _definitely_ Senri's fault.

Soon enough, it was time for Haruka's match. As Haruka headed to the stage, she was taken aback by the sight of a small crowd, mostly boys, filling roughly a quarter of the stadium seats. She briefly wondered if the city just had _that_ many bored teenagers, but that line of thinking immediately died when she saw how excited the audience became when they spotted her. They were _definitely_ there to see _her_.

Haruka's expression deadpanned. There was a _small_ possibility that it had nothing to do with the incident at the maid cafe, but she wasn't naive enough to put her faith on it; she was more willing to think that the two were directly related. With her name being leaked by the Senri fans and the news report about Yuki, odds were good that people would notice her name and face on the Kinsetsu City gym broadcast channel and make the connection.

"So, they came to gawk," Haruka muttered as she stepped up on to the stage. "Fine. If they're expecting a show, they're in for disappointment."

The stage was something she'd expect for an electric gym – generators and live wires littered the area. While such things would normally be dangerous for humans, they served as little more than distractions and obstacles for Pokémon, and potential power-ups for electric types.

None of it was of any help to Phoenix, not that the Torchic seemed to care. The Pokémon bristled with anticipation, her body temperature rising. Phoenix let out a puff of smoke as she glared across the way at the gym leader as he approached.

The gym leader, Tessen, was a short and pudgy little man with a balding head and a thick white beard. He wore a thick brown sweater on top of a bright yellow jumper – the type of thing she'd expect on electrical workers or intrepid television reporters. He finished the whole outfit off with an enormous smile on his face.

"Hoho~!" the gym leader said. "Hellloooo, Haruka!"

Haruka blinked. While Tessen obviously had access to her name, the way the gym leader spoke with such familiarity told her that it went a bit beyond that. "…Hello~?"

"So _you're_ the cute girl that Senri's been boasting about!" Tessen said, chuckling deeply. "He speaks so highly of you, you know~!"

All mirth disappeared from Haruka's face, a dark scowl twisting her expression. Her jaw clenched as she bit down on her first impulse to spit a curse about a certain gym leader. Instead, she focused on not saying anything about him at all. "…Get on with the match already."

"Nope~!" Tessen said, brightly.

Haruka blinked, then furrowed her eyebrows. "…Nope?"

"I'm not starting until I see a _smile_ on your face~!" Tessen said as he winked and wagged a finger at Haruka. "You're faaaar too pretty to wear such a _scary_ face! Ha, you'd freeze my Pokémon right in his tracks!"

Haruka paused before she tried to force a more neutral expression on her face. "I don't feel like smiling."

"All the more reason~!" Tessen said. "Bad thoughts can't hang aroun' without a frown!" When Haruka rewarded the gym leader with a hard stare, Tessen tilted his head and continued to grin. "Everyone knows Senri tends to go a bit far, but he _means_ well. He's completely sincere and wants you to succeed. Not that it excuses him from bein' a total pain in the ass! Hah!"

Haruka was quiet for a moment before she forced a smile on her face, shoving down her dark feelings in to her guts. "…True enough~!"

"Muuuuch better~!" Tessen said. "Now, I gotta warn you, I'm the one with the advantage–"

"Nope~!" Haruka said, interrupting the gym leader. "_I'm_ the one with the advantage~!" The teenage girl held up her Torchic, who blinked. "_I_ have a Phoenix and you _don't_~!"

Tessen paused, then laughed. "Oh _ho_! I think I better be careful, then!"

"Yep, yep~! Not that it'll do you aaaa-ny good!" Haruka said, then set down Phoenix on the stage. "Ready, Phoenix~?"

Phoenix puffed up before she spat out a burst of flame in the air. She then fixed Tessen with a _look_, the intensity in her eyes as hot as the flames in her body.

"Electrifying~!" Tessen said. "Let's go, Sparky!"

The gym leader called his Pokémon, a dark green and orange Electrike. The electric canine growled towards the Torchic, who returned the sound with one of her own.

"It's shocking time~!" Tessen said. In response, Sparky's mouth began to flicker with electricity before he spat the electric attack at the Torchic. Phoenix darted to the side as the bolts of electricity surged past her and uselessly hit the platform that Haruka was standing on.

"Okay, okay~!" Haruka said as she grinned and pointed at Sparky. "Give 'im a piece of your mind, Phoenix~!"

Phoenix lowered her head before she charged at the Electrike, taking advantage of his closeness to slam her brow hard in to the electric Pokémon. Sparky grunted as he flew back, then flipped in the air to catch himself so that he landed on his feet. Once recovered, he darted away from the Torchic to put some distance between them. Phoenix came to a stop and crouched as smoke pillowed from her mouth, glaring after her opponent as he fled.

"He's all speed, _aaaaall_ speed," Haruka mused as she watched Sparky closely. "Another good hit from Phoenix and he'll be D-O-N-E, _done_, and he knows it too!"

"Haha, you hit pretty hard, young lady~!" Tessen said. "But it doesn't matter if you can't land another hit~!"

"Yep, yep, but can you keep dodging for-ev-er~?" Haruka asked, as she flashed the gym leader a grin. "Fire, fire, fire~!"

Phoenix huffed before she began to spit burst of flame after Sparky, the Ember attack smoldering hot. Sparky zipped about the flying fireballs, moving at practically lightning speed around the arena. The Torchic twisted about to follow him, sending flickering Ember attacks after her opponent. As the fire hit the metal instead of the Electrike, it left a smoldering red spot.

"Round and round we go!" Tessen said, with a mighty laugh. "Dizzy yet~?"

"You're talking to a Super Teacup Spinner Champion!" Haruka said as she placed her hands on her hips. "I dare you to try to hold on when _I'm_ spinning!" It was true enough, very few had the courage to ride the spinning teacups with _her_. Only Yuki dared to, and every time it was a feat to walk straight after the ride was over – or even hold in their lunches. That didn't really apply to Pokémon at all, but that wasn't the point!

Phoenix watched the Electrike run about, attempting to stay out of her range and prevent her from locking on to him. While it certainly served its purpose for the moment, it also served to make the Torchic increasingly irritated. Phoenix spat out a small burst of flame as her temperature rose, the smoke coming from her mouth increasing in density.

"Aim ahead, aim ahead~!" Haruka said as she jumped in place. "An-ti-ci-pate! An-ti-ci-pate!" Rather than trying to aim for where the Electrike was, it was just better sense to aim for where they expected him to go.

Torchic narrowed her eyes as she watched Sparky, then spat out a large burst of flame at the wall. Rather than aiming for a single target, she opted instead to simply blast the entire wall with scorching fire.

"Hoho, smoking~!" Tessen said. "Better stay back~!" Sparky darted back out of the way of the flames before he could run straight in to them, bouncing off the wall.

Unfortunately for the Electrike, it caused just enough of a delay for Phoenix to take advantage of it. The Torchic lunged forward, slamming her head in to the opponent Pokémon's side. Not only was it a hard hit, but Phoenix's intense temperature made it so that even the contact _burned_. Sparky yowled as he was knocked out of the air, his fur slightly red from the scorching impact.

Haruka flinched as she could _imagine_ how it must have hurt. The screen displaying their information shifted to show not only the monstrous health loss for Sparky but also Sparky's condition – Phoenix's attack had inflicted him with a lingering injury that would no doubt make the rest of the match more difficult for him.

"Ooop, now _that_'s a _burn_!" Tessen said as he watched his Pokémon fumble to his feet.

Phoenix growled as she puffed up her chest feathers, crouching aggressively as she prepared herself for another attack. As Sparky got on to all fours, the Torchic narrowed her eyes again and rushed forward with a single-minded focus to finish off the Electrike and secure her win for Haruka.

"Go, go~!" Haruka cheered as she hopped about in place. "Fire away~!" Even if the Electrike might be able to dodge a physical attack, Phoenix's fire attacks had a wide enough range to prevent his escape.

Phoenix puffed up before she spat a burst of fire at Sparky, engulfing the injured Pokémon in her attack. He glowed as the automatic safety of his Pokéball activated, recalling the Electrike and marking the end of his ability to fight. The screen above the arena flashed before it declared Haruka the winner, with little lightning bolt effects around her picture.

Haruka nearly jumped out of her skin when the crowd erupted in cheers and clapping, as well as a few hoots and hollers. Haruka paused as she suddenly remembered that she had an actual _audience_. The crowd was rather rowdily applauding her win, making quite a bit of noise for such a small group. She looked slightly embarrassed before she beamed and clapped her hands together. "Good job, Phoenix~!"

Phoenix spread her wings as she crowed, obviously very pleased with herself.

"My, my, you're kind of scary even when you're smiling, aren't you~?" Tessen asked rhetorically before he let out a deep-bellied laugh, reaching down to hold his stomach. "No wonder Senri's so proud~!"

Haruka's smile became strained but she didn't allow it to falter. "It's all Phoenix, she did her best~!"

"A Pokémon reflects on their trainer~!" Tessen said. "And in this case, she reflects a _win_ for Haruka~! I'm oh-so-pleased to officially award you the Dynamo Badge~!"

Haruka grinned as she looked at her Pokédex, where her brand new badge appeared for her to see – she now had _two_ badges. The small crowd cheered for Haruka as she lifted her head to smile at the puffed Torchic, who looked so proud of herself that she was practically glowing. "Congratulations, Phoenix~!"

Phoenix flapped her wings and crowed again, then trotted back over to Haruka as if she were on parade. The teenage girl giggled, then picked up her Pokémon and held the Torchic closely to her chest.

She felt particularly good about winning, even though it hadn't been a priority for her. Battling wasn't that bad at all, and the people around her really seemed to enjoy the show. It was no doubt the same for Yuki – he loved to perform, and people loved to see his performances. She certainly did, after all. Everything was a performance, be it for battles or contests, and both were just as good for what they did. That was something Senri could never understand, but Haruka could.

And when she found Yuki, she'd make sure he understood that as well.


End file.
